Sophomore Year
by abbierena
Summary: Sequel to Freshman Year. Alex and Casey tackle parenthood and life with the rest of the Novak clan.
1. Chapter 1

**Alex's POV**

"Are you having a boy or a girl?" little Shianne asks me.

"A girl," I answer. "I'm naming her Kylie."

"That's my friend's name! Are you married?" Shianne asks.

"Yes, I am." I tell her. I can't believe I'm being interrogated by a six-year-old.

"You're really pretty. I bet you looked like a princess in your wedding dress. What's your husband's name?"

I have no idea how I'm supposed to answer this. "Well, Shianne—"

"She's married to my sister. Casey is her husband," little Charlotte Novak tells her friend and I can't help but giggle at the thought of Casey being my husband.

"She can't be married to Casey, Charlotte. Girls can't marry girls. The Bible says it's wrong," Shianne tells Charlotte.

"No, it's not. Alex loves Casey the way my mommy loves my daddy. There's nothing wrong with that. My mommy says that some girls like girls and some girls like boys, but we all come from the same God and He loves us all the same," Charlotte tells her.

"Well, she's wrong. My mommy says that all gay people deserve to burn in Hell," Shianne tells Charlotte and me.

I start to wonder what kind of parent would tell their children about Hell and who 'deserves' to go there at such a young age, but then I remember this isn't Boston or Los Angeles. Alexandra Novak, you are living in a small town in a red state.

The theological argument between the two six-year-olds starts to get more intense until Charlene Novak walks into the room. "Girls, pizza is here," she tells them. Oh, thank goodness. All ten members of Charlotte's Daisy Girl Scout troop run out of her bedroom door and toward the kitchen.

"Your daughter is adorable," I tell Charlene after all the girls have left the room.

"Which one?" she teases.

"Charlotte, she's so smart and she really sticks up for what she believes in. I hope Kylie is like that," I tell her. "She just got into an argument with her best friend about why Casey and I aren't going to Hell."

Charlene places a hand on my shoulder, "Alex, about that. There are some people in this town who are bigots. I should know, I was one of them. But you and

Casey should never be ashamed or have to hide who you are. You're my daughter now and I care way more about you and your happiness than what someone might say about your homosexuality."

"I love you, Mom," I tell her.

"I love you, too, Alex. Now go eat something. I'll tell your wife and my husband to come inside now."

When dinner is over, Casey and I decide to let her parents have some alone time while we take charge of Charlotte's Girl Scout sleepover. We figure we should get all the practice we can get for when Kylie is that age.

"Do you girls want to hear a scary story?" Casey asks.

"Yeah!" They all reply excitedly.

"Okay. Have any of you seen the abandoned house on First Street?" Casey asks.

"That's across the street from where I live," Shianne informs everyone.

"Great, so you know which one I'm talking about," Casey tells her.

"Tell us the story, Casey!" Charlotte says as she's growing antsy.

"Yeah, Casey. Tell us!" says another little girl.

"A serial killer used to live in that house—" Casey starts.

"Babe, they're just little girls. I think this might be too scary," I tell her.

"We're not little! We're big girls! Me, Shayla, Shianne, Emma, and Allie are in first grade!" Charlotte says. "Lily, Chrissy, Sarah, Hannah, and Jordan are in Kindergarten so they might be scared, but not us!"

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" I ask them.

"Oh, c'mon, Alex. I heard this exact same story when I was a kid and I turned out relatively normal," Casey tells me.

"Fine," I say hesitantly as I see the pleading look in all the girls' eyes. They're at such a cute age and they're so anxious to be considered "big" girls.

"His name is the Lover's Lane Slasher," Casey says. "There's this place by the creek where all the high school couples would go to kiss and—"

"Eww!" the girls say as they explode into a fit of giggles.

"There was this one couple who stayed there later than everyone else. Their friends told them to leave but they wouldn't listen," Casey says. "Anyway, when they were all alone, a man approaches their car and breaks the window."

"Did he get them?" Shayla asks with a worried look on her face.

"Yup," Casey says. "the Slasher grabbed his knife and slit the boy's throat while his girlfriend watched."

"What happened to the girl?" Charlotte asks.

"The slasher grabbed her from the car and took her to his house," Casey tells them.

"What'd he do to her?" I ask.

"He locked her in a dark room and when she turned on the light, she saw that she was surrounded by dead bodies. Because she saw this, the Slasher couldn't just let her go. She had seen way too much so he kept her prisoner there until one day he grabbed his chain saw and cut her into a bunch of tiny pieces."

All ten of the little girls start screaming. Casey is really in for it now.

"What the heck is going on down here?" Charlene asks. "Casey, did you tell them that slasher story?"

"Maybe," Casey says hesitantly.

"Cassandra, go to your room," Charlene tells her. "And thank you for interrupting something I hadn't gotten in awhile."

I start to giggle, but Casey looks disgusted. "TMI, Mom. TMI. Come on, Alex."

Before going to Casey's room, I glance at the little girls one last time. Girl Scout sleepovers, Disney Princess sleeping bags, and pink pajamas. There's only two more months left. Oh, Kylie, I can't wait for you to be born. You and I are going to have so much fun together.


	2. Chapter 2

JeffHardy724: Oooh, what's the Maze scare?

dove in love: haha thanks. What California/Arizona one? I'm intrigued.

* * *

><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

"September 30, 1988, the day Chris and I were blessed with our first little girl," Mom tells us as she shows Alex one of my baby pictures.

"Aww, how cute! I'd know that red hair anywhere. It was already so bright when she was a newborn," Alex laughs. "Oh and those beautiful green eyes."

"I fell in love with her the moment I saw her," my mom tells Alex.

"So did I," Alex says as she kisses me. "Happy birthday, Casey."

"I can't believe my baby is 19-years-old already and married…and expecting her own little bundle of joy," my mom says. "Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with her."

"Does it really go by that fast?" Alex asks her.

"Unfortunately, it does," my mom says to Alex. "One day you're tucking her in and she's asking you to read her a bedtime story and the next she's married and starting a family of her own."

I can see a glum look on my wife's face. "Aww, baby," I tell her. "Don't worry. Kylie isn't even born yet. We have plenty of time."

"I know, Caseybear, but this pregnancy is going by faster than I thought. It makes me realize that our little Kylie is going to grow up so fast."

I hold my wife as she starts to cry. "Don't worry, Alex," my mom tells her. "Your hormones are just acting up right now. I have something that will cheer you up though," she says as she hands Alex another picture of me.

"Aww, Mom, not that one," I groan. The picture she has handed Alex was taken on Halloween when I was five years old. Against my will, my mother dressed me up as Strawberry Shortcake. Complete with the red dress and green and white striped tights, and the puffy white hat. I remember she spent an hour curling my hair and drawing little freckles on my face. That was the worst Halloween ever. I wanted to be something cool like a Ninja Turtle or a Power Ranger, but my mom insisted on making me look as feminine as possible every Halloween.

My wife starts to squee when she sees the picture. "Oh my goodness! She looks so cute! I wish I could just take her out of the picture and hug her!"

"I'm right here though!" I tell her.

"I don't want to hug 19-year-old Casey. I want to hug 5-year-old Casey!" Alex says to me. "5-year-old Casey is so adorable! And look at all those red curls! And that tiny little nose!"

"Too bad it didn't stay that way," my mom teases.

"Is this the 'I Hate 19-year-old Casey' day? Seriously!" I tell them as I pretend to pout.

"Aww, I love my 19-year-old Casey," Alex tells me. " It's almost 11 pm, which means your birthday is almost over and I still haven't given you one of your presents."

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's the kind of present I can only give you in private," my wife says and then winks at me.

If it's the same type of present she gave me for my 18th birthday, I want to waste no time getting to the bedroom.

"Goodnight, Mom. I love you," I hurriedly say before grabbing Alex by the hand and taking her to our bedroom. As soon as we're inside, I lock the door and quickly take every stitch of clothing off of my body.

Instead of enjoying the view, Alex gives me a confused look. "Casey, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for my present. Why are you still fully clothed? I want you naked and in this bed right now! If it's hard for you to undress yourself, I can help you out with that."

"Casey!"

"Alex, today makes it exactly one year since we lost our virginity to each other. I think we should do something to commemorate that."

"Well, this wasn't what I had in mind, but you're right," my wife tells me. "My body was hot back then. Nothing like it is now."

I get out of our bed and slowly remove my wife's clothes and underwear. I can't help but admire her body as I'm doing this. I've never seen Alex look this sexy before, but I know if I tell her, she'll just think I'm lying.

"Casey, I wanted to give you something, but not this," she says when we're laying down. "If you're in the mood, I can touch you, but I'm just not turned on right now."

"But, Alex, you look so beautiful right now. I don't want to take my hands off of you."

"Please, baby, I'm really not feeling up to it right now."

I start to kiss her, "I'm not going to pressure you into having sex, but if you ever want to, just know that I'm always in the mood."

My statement finally gets a smile out of Alex. "I bet you are," she tells me. "Do me a favor? Get your gift out of my top drawer?"

"What's this?" I ask as I remove a 8"x8" gift from Alex's drawer.

"Just open it, it's something I've been working on. I hope you like it," Alex says as she's blushing.

When I open the gift, I find out it's a scrapbook with our names on the front. Aww, my wife is adorable. When I flip to the first page, I expect to find the history of our relationship complete with love notes and photos of us on dates, but that couldn't be further from what was really in there. The first page is a picture of Alex that was taken the night we lost our virginity to each other. She's in my favorite pink lace undies and no bra. Holy fuck! I turn to the next page and find a completely naked picture of Alex from when I begged her to let me do a nude photo shoot of her in my dorm the night she became my girlfriend. This book is too good to be true. Every picture in here is of Alex naked or in lingerie and in some _very_ sexually suggestive positions.

"Casey, are you blushing?"

"This is by far the greatest birthday gift I have ever received," I tell her.

"I was hoping you'd like it. I figured you should have something to…stimulate…you when I'm not in the mood for sex."

"Mrs. Novak, are you saying you want me to masturbate?" I tease.

Alex nods. "I'm also saying I want to watch you."

I start blushing again as Alex kisses my neck. Happy birthday to me!


	3. Chapter 3

dove in love: That story traumatized me. haha. Note to self, never do it in the woods.

Jessica: I want that present, too! Mmm...a naughty Alex Cabot scrapbook.

JeffHardy724: haha I'm hoping that was "yikes" in a good way!

* * *

><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

"Take care of my wife," Casey tells her mom and her mom's best friend.

"I'll miss you," I tell her and then pull her in for a kiss. That one kiss turns into another and then another. I'd have my way with her at this moment if we were alone.

"She'll just be outside, working in the garage with her dad," Charlene says, interrupting us.

"Speaking of, I should go do that," Casey says and gets up to leave. I can tell she's embarrassed, which makes her even more irresistible. As she leaves her parents' bedroom, I can't help but eye her in her tight jeans and old softball t-shirt. Her hair is in a messy ponytail and she has a tool belt around her waist. Instead of working on a shelf in the garage, I wish she were working on me.

"She is _so_ sexy," I tell them and Charlene's friend Chrissy starts to laugh.

"That's my baby girl," Charlene says to me. "And even though she's married and I know you two make love, I can't get used to anyone lusting over her. To me, she'll always be that little girl with red pigtails who liked to play with Hot Wheels and My Size Barbie."

"Well, now she has a new Barbie to play with," Chrissy says. "And this one is anatomically correct."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Charlene says to Chrissy. She then pushes her down on the bed and kisses her. I was expecting a friendly kiss on the cheek or even a playful kiss on the lips, but this was more than that.

"I love you," Chrissy tells her and returns the kiss.

"I love you, too," Charlene responds and then turns to me. "Alex, you didn't see or hear that."

"My lips are sealed," I tell her even though I know damn well I'm going to tell Casey about this. There's a fine line between friendly kisses and what I just witnessed.

Charlene places a hand on my stomach. "I'm so excited about my granddaughter," she tells me. I know she's just as excited about Kylie as Casey and I are, but at this moment I feel as if she's trying to change the subject.

Aside from what I just witnessed, I really enjoy spending time with Charlene and her friend Chrissy. They've been best friends since junior high and they are so much alike that it scares me. The only difference is that Charlene is a stay-at-home mom and Chrissy is a stockbroker. I love listening to Chrissy talk. She was born in Mississippi and she has a really thick accent that not too many people can understand. Charlene loves to tease her about it, but I think it's charming. Chrissy has a son, but she's never been married. Charlene says that a lot of people like to spread rumors about her because of it. There's not many 37-year-old women in this small town who have never been married. Plus, Chrissy dates her fair share of men _and_ women.

"Only six more weeks until she's here," I tell them. "I think Casey and I have everything ready."

"Are you actually ready to go into labor though?" Chrissy asks.

"No," I admit. "But it'll be nice to not be this huge anymore. I can't even get up without Casey helping me."

"Childbirth is a beautiful thing," Charlene tells me and Chrissy starts laughing.

"She's lying," Chrissy says to me. "It hurts! It's the worst pain I have ever felt in my whole life. Charlene was in the delivery room with me the whole time holding my hand, so that made it a little better. But, regardless of the pain, you know it's going to be over eventually and it's all worth it when you're holding your baby."

"I've been through it four times," Charlene tells me. "And I'd do it all over again if I had the chance, but Chris doesn't want any more kids."

I start smiling at her. "I needed this talk," I admit. "Sometimes I get so scared, you know? I know she's Casey's baby and my baby, but a part of me is afraid I'll hold Kylie and she'll remind me of him."

"Honey," Charlene says and holds me close. "Kylie has nothing to do with him. He was there when she was conceived, but that's it. He has nothing to do with who she'll become. He isn't raising her; you and Casey are. She'll have your values and you'll be the one who helps shape her personality and how she looks at the world. Judging by the family pictures you've shown me, you Cabots have some strong genes. Chances are, she's going to look like you."

"If she does, she'll be a very beautiful little girl," Chrissy tells me. "You're absolutely gorgeous, sweetheart. If I were 19, I'd be trying to take you from Casey."

"That hasn't stopped you before," Charlene teases. "You slept with Casey's friend Allegra last year at the sorority convention and she was only 21. In fact, you've had at least one undergrad at every convention. I'm surprised the National Council hasn't stripped you of your title yet. Plus, you've had your fair share of married women."

"I can think of one married woman in particular I've had," Chrissy says and winks at Charlene.

"Alex, don't listen to her," Charlene tells me. "She's so full of herself that she thinks she can have anyone."

"I don't _think_ I can have anyone, Charlene, I _know_ I can," Chrissy corrects her and Charlene kisses Chrissy again.

Oh, I am _definitely_ going to have to tell Casey what's going on.


	4. Chapter 4

JeffHardy724: Happy belated birthday! I hope you had a great day yesterday and did something fun!

dove in love: No more waiting game. haha. I'll go back to my once-a-day update. :)

Jessica: I'm glad I could still find ways to surprise you. There's plenty of surprises ahead. :D

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

My dad and I have been in the garage for the past few hours, fixing whatever we can get our hands on, and even a few things that don't need fixing at all. What I really wanted out of this night was some bonding time with my dad. Usually, we play catch, but it's too cold outside tonight so he suggested we work in the garage. I felt bad for leaving Alex, but my mom and Chrissy insisted that I get out so they could talk to her about "girl" things. Alex is probably asking about childbirth and I know they can be a better help to her in that department than I can, especially since they've both been teenage moms like Alex will be. My mom had me, her second child, at 19 and Chrissy had my best friend Sam, her son, when she was also 19. The two of them were pregnant at the same time and my dad says that they put him and everyone else through hell. I'm so glad Alex isn't like that. She has her moments when she's moody and she's been crying a lot, but she has never been angry with me. I can honestly say that her pregnancy has brought us closer together. I try to be as attentive as I can and she tries to include me in everything that's happening with her and Kylie.

I have to admit that I'm ready for Kylie, but I'm not ready for Alex to go into labor. She's the woman I love more than life itself and it bothers me to know that she's going to be in so much pain. That's one of the reasons why I wanted some alone time with my dad. He's been in the delivery room three times with my mom. There has to be some insight he can offer me.

"What's on your mind, Sport?" he asks me after we've finished predicting how the Colorado Rockies are going to do during post-season.

"Everything," I reply.

"Fatherhood?" he asks and I start to laugh. I love my parents even though they have a way of putting lesbian relationships into a heteronormative model. My mom is getting better but my dad still considers Alex to be the woman in the relationship while I'm the man.

"I guess you can say that," I respond. "I'm just worried about being in the delivery room while she's having Kylie."

My dad gives me a pat on the back. "Your anxiety, Sport, pales in comparison to what Alex is going to be facing in the delivery room."

"Thanks, Dad," I say sarcastically. "That doesn't exactly make me feel better."

"There's nothing I can tell you to make you feel better," my dad admits. "Regardless of what your mom says, there is nothing beautiful about the experience. I wasn't in there when she had Caleb. I wanted to be, but she was only 16 and she said she wanted her mom instead. I remember being in there when she was having you. My wife, the most beautiful woman I've ever met, was saying some of the _ugliest_ things I have ever heard. It's like she was possessed. She was cussing, she was crying, and she was even screaming. I just stood there, holding her hand and trying to comfort her, but I was basically useless. I was just there while your mom was going through the worst pain of her life. It was the same when she had Cassidy and even worse when she had Charlotte. Giving birth to Charlotte almost killed her."

"Dad, I think you actually made me feel worse," I admit. "Mom almost died? What if something happens to Alex? I don't want to lose her."

"I didn't mean to scare you. I've just been bitter lately," he tells me. "Alex is going to be fine. You love her and the most important thing you can do for in the delivery room is let her know that you love her. She's bringing your baby into this world. That's huge. She deserves to be spoiled."

I go over to my dad and give him a hug. I ask him what he's been bitter about and if he's okay, but he refuses to answer the question. Instead, he tells me it's getting late and I should check on Alex. I go into my parents' bedroom and see that my mom and Chrissy are passed out on the bed and Alex is nowhere to be seen. Instead of waking them up, my dad opts to sleep on the living room couch. I decide to go into my room and I find Alex in her pajamas and under the covers. She smiles at me as I take my clothes off and get into bed with her.

"I love when you come to bed in nothing but your underwear," she tells me. I place a hand on her tummy and I can feel Kylie start to kick.

"Your body is so amazing, Alex," I tell her and she starts to laugh.

"It doesn't feel that way tonight," she says and then starts to yawn. "I'm exhausted but I can't fall asleep. This little one has been way too active tonight."

"Kylie Novak," I say and pretend to scold our unborn daughter. "I want you to be a good girl and let your mommy sleep tonight. I also want you to be calm so your mommy can make out with me."

"Casey, don't tell our little girl that!" she tells me and then starts to talk to our baby. "You didn't hear that, sweetie."

I give Alex a delicate kiss and when I try to give her another one, she pulls away. "There's something I have to tell you," she says. Judging by her tone, I have a feeling it isn't going to be good.

"What is it, babe?" I ask.

"I saw your mom and Chrissy kissing. It wasn't the typical, quick, friendly kiss either," Alex says nervously. "They were kissing the way you and I kiss."

"What are you trying to say, Alex?"

"I don't know," Alex says, trying carefully to choose the right words. "It just caught me off guard. And Chrissy was holding your mom when she started falling asleep."

"My mom isn't gay, Alex!" I say angrily.

"I'm not saying she is," Alex tells me. "I was just…Casey, I don't know. It's probably nothing. I just didn't want to keep anything from you. I don't want to be that kind of wife."

Alex looks at me with pleading eyes and I apologize for becoming angry with her. Alex isn't that kind of wife; she's the _best_ kind of wife, the kind who is open and honest with me. I give her one more kiss and within a few minutes she is asleep in my arms. I know there's still six more weeks until she goes into labor, but I want to start spoiling her now.


	5. Chapter 5

dove in love: Okay, so technically it's the end of the day, but it's still Tuesday in my time zone so I can still say I'm doing my once a day update. haha.

VampirePrincess86: Hi! Where the heck have you been? haha.

* * *

><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

"You're looking especially beautiful today, Mrs. Novak," Allegra says as she and Charlene are bringing everyone's drinks to the living room. "That Rockies jersey really complements your hair and skin tone."

"Thank you, Allegra, but I'm still not going to have sex with you," Charlene tells her.

"Why not?" Allegra asks.

"Because I'm married and you're only 22," she tells Allegra.

"Oh, so if you get divorced and I ask you when I'm older, it'll be okay?"

"Exactly," Charlene tells her. "Alright, girls, your margaritas are ready. Alex, here's your vitamin water."

"Vitamin water while the rest of you are getting drunk? I love being pregnant," I say sarcastically.

"It's okay, Alex," Charlene tells me. "I'm thinking of cutting off Allegra's supply right now."

"Is this your third one now, honey?" she asks her.

"Fourth," Allegra replies. "But everything I'm telling you is the truth. When are you going to have a threesome with me and Megan?"

"Tonight," Charlene replies.

"Really!"

"Nope," Charlene tells her.

"You have to stop playing with my emotions like that, Mrs. Novak," Allegra says.

"Want me to smack her for you?" Megan asks Charlene.

"No, it's okay. I've known Allegra for four years now. I like this kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Mrs. Novak. I'm 22 now and I'm in med school. Think about it," Allegra replies.

"Oh, I will. I'll think about you all night," Charlene says before kissing Allegra on the lips.

"Mom! How many margaritas have you had?" Casey asks.

"Cassandra, shut the hell up. Your father is at some sports bar with the guys. I'm allowed to have some fun, too."

"You're allowed to have all the fun you want, Mrs. Novak. Also, I must say that you are quite an excellent kisser," Allegra says.

Ever since Charlene started accepting Casey's lesbianism, we've noticed something different about her. She is definitely more youthful and comfortable with her own sexuality. Casey says she isn't the same authoritarian figure that she used to be and I completely agree with that. It's still hard to believe this same woman who kissed Allegra and Chrissy once slapped Casey for being a lesbian.

"Casey, why aren't you sitting next to your wife?" Charlene asks.

"Tonight, I have no wife," Casey says as she glares at me.

"Oh, you're just butthurt because your team is losing," Megan tells Casey.

"Don't talk to me, you demon twins," Casey tells us.

It's October 28th, Game 4 of the World Series. The Boston Red Sox are playing the Colorado Rockies, which means Casey and I have been hating each other the past few days. The Boston Red Sox have won three games in a row and if we win tonight, the World Series is ours. Megan flew over here for the sole purpose of watching the game with me. Daddy was a season ticket holder and he took us to almost every game. The Sox were extremely important to him, so whenever we watch them play, we feel like he's still with us.

Allegra isn't much of a baseball fan. She's just here for Megan and to drool over Charlene. If a sport doesn't have cheerleaders, Allegra doesn't really care about it. Casey and Charlene, on the other hand, are die-hard Rockies fans so it's been very interesting for me in the Novak household lately. To piss Casey off, Megan and I are decked out in full Red Sox gear. Megan is wearing a shirt that says "I Only Kiss Red Sox Fans" and her hair is streaked with navy blue and red. I'm in my maternity shirt that says "Future Red Sox Fan Inside" and my ponytail is tied with navy blue and red hair ribbons. Megan and I are also clad in our fuzzy red socks that our grandma knitted for us to wear when we watch the games at home.

"I think I feel another World Series title coming on, don't you Megan?" I ask my sister, making sure that Casey hears me.

"So do I, sis. What's that make now, 7?"

"Yeah, I think so. Oh and how many do the Rockies have? Oh right, they don't have any!" I say.

"This is getting embarrassing," Megan says. "We needed a more worthy opponent. I can't believe the series is going to be a clean sweep. How boring!"

"Fuck you," Casey says. "We're going to win today. And then we're going to win the next three games and the series will be ours."

"Aww, Casey, it's so cute when you're so naïve," I tell her.

"Go back to Boston!" Casey tells me.

"Your wife is getting pissed off, Alex," Megan teases.

"She is, Megan and it's so cute. I want to pinch her cheeks right now, but I'll just wait until after our World Series victory."

Casey is glaring at me. I flash her a smile and she flips me off.

By the time the fourth inning rolls around, I start feeling a sharp pain. I know I'm not going into labor yet. It's way too soon. I'm not due for another three and a half weeks. Maybe Kylie is just kicking again? No, that's definitely not it.

"Alex, we're going to the bathroom," Megan says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because of our creepy twin thing," Megan tells me. "I feel it too," she whispers in my ear.

We get into the bathroom and lock the door. "Take your underwear off," Megan tells me.

"Why?"

"Remember what happened when I skinned my knee and you broke out in a rash in the same place? That's why I want you to take your underwear off."

"I'm afraid," I tell her as I start to cry. "Megan, it's really hurting."

My sister gives me a hug. "I know, Lex. That's why you have to listen to me, okay?"

After taking my shorts off, I pull my underwear down and see that they're soaked with my blood. I've done everything I'm supposed to during this pregnancy. This can't be happening to me.


	6. Chapter 6

dove in love: If you want to look at it that way then, I did two updates today! Your mom is bi? that's awesome! Oh and Yankees suck! I lived in Boston for nearly a year and my friends over there made me a Yankees hater. haha.

JeffHardy724: Go Red Sox, indeed! :)

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

I had always thought of childbirth as something beautiful. I knew there would be pain, but I had assumed it wouldn't be too bad. My mom had told me that it hurts but it's worth it afterward when you're holding your baby. I had hoped, no I had _expected_, for Alex to have a similar experience. As her wife, it was a given that I would be in there with her while she was giving birth to Kylie. Since I had no part in how Kylie was conceived, I felt as if being with Alex during childbirth would make me feel connected to our baby. After all, we're going to be raising her together.

What I didn't expect was the possibility of losing Alex and Kylie in the process. I knew she could sense something was wrong with her. This wasn't the usual "get this thing out of me" yelling that is shown on movies. Instead, my Alex was crying. She held on to my hand tighter than ever before and told me, "I love you, Casey. If I don't make it, tell Kylie that her mommy loves her." I didn't care who was watching us; I leaned in and kissed Alex for what might be the last time.

The doctor told me what had caused these complications, but unfortunately her words went in one ear and out the other. I couldn't take my eyes off of Alex's nearly lifeless body and all the blood between her legs. She went into shock after Kylie was born and I was told to leave the room as her doctors were preparing to move her to intensive care.

Right after Kylie was born, she was taken to the intensive care unit for newborns. Our baby was born four weeks premature and the doctor said her lungs aren't fully developed. She's having trouble breathing right now and she has been given a 60% chance of surviving the night. My Alex never even got a chance to hold the daughter she so desperately wanted.

No one is allowed to visit Alex or Kylie yet, so I've spent the past couple hours in the waiting room. My parents are with me and so are Allegra and Megan, but I wish my parents weren't here right now, or at least not here together. They've been arguing over the smallest things the past few weeks. I haven't told anyone this, but two nights ago, I caught him on the phone flirting with another woman. I thought it was harmless until I saw my mom crying in their room that night.

I am reminded of how distant they've become when my dad takes a phone call from "someone at the office" and suddenly has to leave.

"I love you, Sport. Call me if anything changes," he says as he gives me a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you, too, Daddy."

"Chris, your granddaughter and your daughter-in-law are in the hospital right now. What is so damn important that you have to leave?" my mom asks.

"I have a lot of work to do, Charlene. Someone has to earn a living around here. I know you won't."

"Forget it. Just get the fuck out of my sight," she tells him.

We all sit in silence for a couple of minutes until my mom's phone starts to ring.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you?" my mom says. From her tone of voice, I can tell she's talking to her best friend, Chrissy, who is my best friend Sam's mom. The two of them have been spending an awful lot of time together and it's starting to worry me for reasons I'm not even sure of.

"Casey, I'll be back in five minutes," my mom tells me. "Chrissy wants to know what's going on with Alex and the baby and I'm not supposed to use the phone in here."

As soon as she leaves, I start to cry. My once happy life has turned to shit all of a sudden. My family is falling apart and I don't know what lies ahead for my wife and my daughter.


	7. Chapter 7

dove in love: I don't actually hate the Yankees. I just don't like that they're so damn good all the time. It starts to become too predictable. haha. And where are your updates? I waited for them and they never came. :( I have something planned for Casey's family in the upcoming chapters.

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

A few more hours have passed and I still haven't heard anything about Alex, but the doctor says things really aren't looking good for Kylie. If she makes it through the night, there is only a 30 percent chance that she will make it through the next two days.

I feel so powerless. I'm supposed to be looking out for them, but there's nothing I can do about it. I wish I could hold at least one of my girls right now. This is all Mike's fault. If he wouldn't have violated Alex, we wouldn't be in this situation. We would be in our dorm room, holding each other right now, or hanging out with our friends, or doing all of the other things teenage couples do. She's only 19. That's too young for her to be taken away from me. There's still so much for us to experience together.

And my Kylie. She never even had a chance. She doesn't know that even though we never met her face-to-face, she's still our pride and joy. Alex and I wanted her more than anything in the world. I only got to see her for a few seconds and her eyes were closed the whole time. I'll never even know if she has Alex's beautiful blue eyes.

I don't even realize I'm crying until Megan holds me.

"Alex is going to be okay, Case. I know she is," Megan tells me. There is not a single tear in her eye and I start to wonder how she can be so strong knowing that her twin sister and her niece are barely clinging to life.

"Megan, you don't know that," I tell her in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Alex and I have a very special bond that you probably don't understand. One of us can't even scrape our knee without the other one feeling it. When she started bleeding last night, I sensed it. Don't you think if something worse were to happen, I would feel something, anything?"

"That whole creepy twin thing you two always talk about is a myth. It's not real, Megan."

"Well, that 'creepy' twin thing is all I have right now. We all cope in different ways and you sitting here crying is doing nothing to help Alex or Kylie. It's like you've already given up on them, Casey. They're still with us and they're always going to be with us. Ever since we were kids, Alex and I said we were going to live to be 100. She's not going to fucking die _here_, Casey. Not my sister. She's been through too much shit in her life to just give up now."

"I can't live without her, Megan, I just can't. Alex is my life."

Megan gives me a kiss on my forehead. "You won't have to live without her, Casey. I promise you that. Alex and Kylie are going to be fine and in a few days, they'll be home and you'll get to hold both of your girls and Allegra and I will be there to tease you two about how lame and mushy you are just like we did this spring."

Her last sentence manages to get a smile out of me even in this situation. "Megan, I love you."

"I love you too, sister-in-law. I think my girlfriend wants to talk to you," Megan tells me. I think it's cute how she chose to use the words 'my girlfriend' instead of just saying Allegra. They've been together for seven months now and though they both say they don't believe in marriage, I know it's just a matter of time before one of them pops the question.

"Baby, I'm taking Casey outside for a little bit," Allegra tells Megan before she kisses her lips in front of everyone in the waiting room.

"Don't be gone too long. I miss you already," Megan tells her.

Seeing as we're in a red state, their kiss prompts a few negative comments from a teenage boy in which Megan simply replies, "Don't be jealous because I'm banging her and you're not." The boy's face turns bright red and he is no longer able to look at Megan. Allegra and I start cracking up as Megan continues to glare at him.

"That is why I'm in love with this girl," Allegra tells me in the middle of her laughing fit.

After another goodbye kiss, Allegra leads me to a bench outside Once we sit down she starts smiling at me. "Our girls are something, aren't they?"

"Tell me about it. There's something about those Cabot girls. They're just so beautiful and warm-hearted…and so…"

"Addicting?" Allegra interrupts.

"Yes!"

"I didn't even want a girlfriend before Megan. Hell, I didn't even want to have sex with the same girl more than once. But when I first laid eyes on my little Meggie Pie, I knew I had to have her in any way she'd let me. Even if it was just to hold her hand, that'd be okay with me. Casey, I never thought I'd be so deeply in love with someone. You better not make fun of me for this, but when I look at her, I know I'm looking at the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. That's why I hate Mike so much. You know how angry you were when you found out he had raped Alex_ once_? Well, imagine how I felt when Megan told me he did that to her over 50 times. Fifty! Can you believe that? She told me that he chose her over Alex because she was already ruined and no one would notice if one more guy had fucked her because so many already had in her films. She was so young, Case. She was only a senior in high school and here was this grown man making my Megan think she was nothing more than some hole he could stick his dick in whenever he felt like it. That shit stayed with her. She may act tough, but she still cries about it at night. Even though she lives in LA and he's in New York, she still thinks he's going to come into her room like he used to. I know it's not her fault and I know Alex doesn't blame her, but she still hates herself for not showing up for their birthday weekend. She says that she hoped Alex would never know the fear that she knows and that if she had been there that weekend, he would have done something to her instead of Alex. Alex was always so sheltered and she wanted her to stay that way. If anything happens to Alex, Megan is going to spend the rest of her life hating herself."

When Allegra's words sink in, I start to cry. "I don't want to lose my wife," I tell Allegra between my sobs.

Allegra holds me close and then wipes my tears away. "Do you want to know a funny story?" I nod. I need _something_ to cheer me up right now.

"Megan told me the day before you and Alex lost your virginity to each other, Alex was totally freaking out. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. She didn't even know about the female anatomy. Megan said Alex had touched herself once or twice, but she didn't even know where exactly her clit was so she called Megan and they got on their webcams to do a video chat and…"

"And what?" I ask. "You can't just stop right there."

"Megan gave Alex a little tutorial. There were diagrams and everything. Megan said Alex even started taking notes like she was in class or something."

I start cracking up. "She didn't!"

"She did! You can even ask Megan!"

"Aww, my Alex. She's so meticulous. That little tutorial must have been excellent because…_damn_!"

"What can I say? Megan is a pro," Allegra tells me with a huge smile on her face. "Speaking of my little Meggie Pie, I miss her. I think it's time we go back inside now."

As we're walking toward the hospital, I get a text from my mom. "Casey, get in here ASAP. Something's happening with Alex."


	8. Chapter 8

dove in love: I'm _expecting_ you to try again tonight. You got me hooked on Abbie's Promise and then you don't update for over a month! For shame. So...I updated again because you told me to. haha.

Lisa: I'll have the Best Years up soon! I'm actually making some corrections to it right now. :D

JeffHardy724: I'm hanging my head in shame right now for being evil. :)

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Alexandra," my nurse Sarah tells me. She's a beautiful brunette young woman who is probably no older than 26. I've always dreaded being in a hospital, but Sarah is making this experience extremely comfortable for me.

"Please, you can call me Alex," I tell her as I smile. "Where's Casey?"

"That's the tenth time you've asked for Casey, not including the times you asked for her in your sleep."

"And I'm going to keep asking for her until I see her. Now where's my Casey?"

Sarah starts to laugh. "You are a very persistent young woman, aren't you? Maybe later, I'll bring her in for you. I've got to go check on some other patients. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Other than Casey?" I ask.

"You're too much, Alex," Sarah tells me. "I'll see you in awhile."

An hour later, Sarah returns to my room with a big smile on her face. "I've got a surprise for you," she says as she opens the door.

"Casey!" Even though she is wearing her sorority sweatshirt and absolutely no make-up, she is still the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

"Alex!" She says as she rushes over to me. "Sweetie, I thought I'd never get to hold you again."

"I'm going to leave you two lovebirds alone," Sarah says as she winks at me.

Casey sits in a chair next to my bed. "Alex, what happened?

"It was a placental abruption," I say to her as if I know what I'm talking about. "The placental lining separated from my uterus, which caused the bleeding. It's a common cause of death during pregnancy. The doctors said I was lucky though and I certainly feel that way."

"I felt so horrible knowing there was nothing I could do for you. Plus, my mom sent me a text saying something had happened to you and I started freaking out. I thought I had lost you."

"Casey, I'm fine. Really. She was probably just paranoid. You know Charlene isn't herself right now."

"How's Kylie?" Casey asks.

"She made it through the night. Our little girl is a fighter."

"Just like her mommy," Casey tells me as she kisses my lips.

"We still need to name her," I tell Casey.

"I thought she was going to be Kylie Abigail."

"I chose her first name so I want you to choose her middle name. She needs a good name. Name her after someone you admire. Daddy named me Alexandra Vivian because of my grandma Vivian and I'm proud of that middle name. I want Kylie to take pride in her middle name too."

"Alexandra."

"Yes?" I answer, surprised that Casey is calling me by my formal name instead of Alex.

"That's what I want her name to be; Kylie Alexandra Novak."

"Why?" I ask.

"You told me to name her after someone I admire. Plus, I know she will take pride in her name if she's named after you."

"That's exactly what her name is going to be then, Caseybear."

"I love you, Alex."

"I love you too."

Casey tucks my hair behind my ears and starts to kiss me. One kiss turns into another. Then another. Then another. We only pull away so she can take her hoodie and t-shirt off. Oh, no. Not the green push-up bra. I'm officially a goner. After she places her shirt neatly within reach, Casey gets into bed with me to continue our rather heated make-out session. As I'm about to unzip Casey's jeans, we hear someone start to enter the room. A paranoid Casey jumps out of my bed and attempts to reach for her t-shirt, but it's too late.

"My goodness, don't you girls ever do it somewhere where you can't get caught? And Cassandra, put your shirt back on. I know you're not flat anymore, but that doesn't mean you have to show yourself off to Alex every chance you get."

"Mom!" Casey groans and I can't help but laugh at how we always get ourselves in this situation.

"I hope you two enjoy making out," Charlene tells us. "That's about as far as you're going to get for a while."

"What?" Casey asks her in disbelief.

"Alex just had a baby and her body needs time to heal. That means no sex for a few weeks," Charlene tells Casey.

"A few weeks? Please tell me you're joking," I say to Charlene.

"Sweetie, I've had four kids. I think I know about this stuff," she tells me.

"But Alex can still do stuff to me, right?" Casey asks.

Charlene playfully smacks Casey upside the head. "Cassandra Charlene Novak, I know I didn't raise you to be that selfish. You sound just like your father after I had Caleb. He actually asked the doctor if I could still give blowjobs. I wanted to smack him when he asked that. Had I just given him a blowjob in the first place, I wouldn't have gotten knocked up at 15."

"That's so embarrassing!" I say.

"Wait, so that means Alex can still give head, right?" Casey asks in a very serious tone of voice.

This time it's my turn to smack Casey upside the head. "Babe!"

"What? It's a serious question," she says in her defense.

Charlene laughs. "Alex, she's _your_ responsibility now. You're the one who married her."

Casey cuts in, "Well, if we're finished with the Casey-bashing, I'd really like to see my daughter now."

Oh, no. I was hoping she wouldn't ask this yet. It's going to hurt too much to tell her the truth. Charlene sees how nervous I am so she flashes me an 'I'll take care of this' look.

"Casey, sweetie, I'm afraid you can't see Kylie right now," Charlene tells her.

"Why can't we see her? We're her parents," Casey says confused.

"Alex can, but you can't. The NICU is only letting Kylie's parents see her right now because of her condition."

"But I'm her mommy," Casey says in a small voice. I know she knows why she can't see her, but she doesn't want to believe people are still that narrow-minded.

"Casey, in this state, your partnership with Alex isn't recognized. You technically have no rights over Kylie and neither do I as her grandma. The only person who could see her right now is her birthmother."

"But I'm—"

"Casey, you can't see her yet," Charlene interrupts. "Maybe tomorrow, but not right now. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but that's how it is here. There's nothing we can do about it."

"Fuck this," Casey says as she angrily leaves the room.

"Want me to get her?" Charlene asks me.

"No, give her some time to cool off," I tell Charlene.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you two earlier, but I just wanted to see how you're doing. You scared me to death, little one," Charlene says before giving me a hug.

"Thanks for being my mom."

"It's my privilege, sweetheart. I love you. I can't wait for you and Kylie to come home. I better let you get ready now. I'm going to go talk to _my _daughter, while you go see yours."

My daughter. I'm finally going to get to see her.


	9. Chapter 9

dove in love: I updated AGAIN! haha. and i'm still waiting on yours. You have me very excited for it. Oh and the Best Years is a story I had worked on last year. It takes place when Alex and Casey are all grown up.

JeffHardy724: Red states suck sometimes. :(

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

My daughter's lungs aren't fully developed so she isn't able to breathe on her own. Her tiny little body is hooked up to so many tubes, including a feeding tube. I'm not even able to breast-feed her. Instead, I have to use a breast pump, which would have been a daunting task had Charlene not shown me how to use it. The milk that is pumped is later put through the feeding tubes for Kylie instead of me actually being able to hold her and feed her myself. In fact, I'm not even allowed to hold her at all because of the dangers due to her low birth weight. After I saw how small Kylie was, I asked Charlene about birth weight. She said the average ranges from 6 to 8 pounds. Casey was a perfect 7 pounds 8 ounces. Kylie is nowhere near that. She is only 3 pounds 5 ounces.

One of the doctors in the NICU told me Kylie will probably have to be hospitalized for three or four weeks, but hearing that was like a dream come true. Three or four weeks? Kylie was originally not expected to make it through her first night. I plan on being right by her side that whole time. Even though I can't hold her, I know there are other ways I can bond with my daughter. I talked to her a lot the first time I saw her. Most of what I said made absolutely no sense, but I want her to get to know her mommy's voice. I was also able to touch her tiny hands and arms. She is wearing a hospital bracelet that says Baby Novak and her date of birth: October 29, 2007. I wish Casey could be here. I know she'd get a kick out of seeing her family name attached to Kylie as well as hearing the staff in the NICU call me Mrs. Novak.

This whole situation has been so hard on Casey and what makes everything worse is the fact that she can't even see Kylie yet. Sure, she had no part in her conception, but Casey has been there for me throughout my entire pregnancy. I probably wouldn't even have gone through with any of this if not for my wife and her constant love and reassurance. We may be a teenage, lesbian couple, but that doesn't mean that our love for each other is any less valid. It hurts Casey to know that she can't see Kylie because of our "non-traditional" marriage that isn't even recognized over here. Kylie is her daughter and we're going to raise her together, regardless of what people may say. I love Casey with all my heart and I'm going to show my love for her every chance I get. I'm going to kiss her and hug her. I'm going to hold her hand in public.

She needs to know that we're in this together and I consider her to be just as much of a mother to Kylie as I am.

There is a reason Kylie is this way and it mostly has to do with my age. Placental abruption is more common in mothers under 20 and over 35. Ever since Casey and I became a couple we have been talking about having children someday, but that meant sometime after our undergrad years, not when we were sophomores. We wanted to wait until we were 29 or 30. That way we would both be settled into our careers and we would have also had plenty of time to establish a strong foundation for our marriage. We would have had time to travel together, get a place together, as well as actually plan for a baby. But life doesn't always turn out the way people expect it to, and that is certainly how it has been since the start of my relationship with Casey. Casey and Kylie are my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.


	10. Chapter 10

dove in love: I love you, too! Oooh sale? Where do you work?

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

"My wife was released from the hospital and we're going to the murder house. This is the best Halloween ever!" I tell Alex, Allegra, and Megan as we load up on bottles of alcohol to take with us on our journey.

"There's Jager in the fridge. I suggest you take it. You girls have nothing but bitch drinks in your hands right now," my mom says as she enters the kitchen in nothing but a baby blue bathing suit and a pair of big pink sunglasses. In her hands is a yellow beach towel that she _should_ be using to cover herself up.

"Charlene, you look hot," Allegra tells her. It's the first time I've ever heard her call her by her first name instead of Mrs. Novak.

"And very '70s," Alex adds.

"Mom, what the hell are you supposed to be?" I ask, trying not to let my anger show.

"Malibu Barbie. I'm the exact replica of the one I had when I was a little girl in the '70s," my mom says to me.

"Far out," Megan says as if she is an expert on '70s slang.

"And where's Daddy?" I ask.

"Who knows?" my mom says.

As I'm about to further interrogate her, her best friend Chrissy walks into our house dressed like a 1960s Playboy Bunny. What is with these women? They're 38 years old. The four of us should be the ones dressed sleazy today, not them.

"Charlene, you look beautiful," Chrissy says to my mom in her accent that I've suddenly begun to hate. I notice my mom start to blush. "So do you," she tells Chrissy.

I am tempted to repeat my question about my father's whereabouts, but I know it will only go unanswered. I wouldn't be surprised if he were out with his mistress right now. I also wouldn't be surprised if my mom were going to cheat on him with some guy tonight.

"I'm going to a party with Chrissy. I probably won't be home until morning. Charlotte is spending the night at Shianne's house and Cassidy is at a sleepover with her cheer squad. You girls have fun tonight," my mom says before giving us all goodbye hugs.

"She's totally going to fuck her," Allegra says once Chrissy and my mom have left.

"Who?" Alex asks.

"Charlene and Chrissy. They're not going to some party. They're going to spend the whole night doing each other," Allegra tells us.

"Dumbass, my mom isn't gay," I tell Allegra.

Megan's eyes suddenly get wide. "I think you should tell her," she says to her girlfriend.

Allegra slowly exhales. "Casey, I had sex with your mom last night."

"You what?" I say to her in disbelief. "You better not have just said what I think you just said." I'm fighting every urge in my body that's telling me to go over and smack Allegra.

"Casey, I'm sorry. It just happened, you know? You and Megan were at the hospital with Alex and the two of us were here talking in the guest room and one thing led to another. She told me she was going to bed, but she came back 15 minutes later wearing nothing but her underwear. I asked her if she was sure she wanted to do this and she said yeah and that this is what she needed. She told me that she knows I have a girlfriend and she wouldn't dream of trying to split us up, but she said she's been fantasizing about me non-stop for the past few days now. I'm not going to tell you what happened because I know you don't want to know, but she went at it like a fucking pro. This woman knew exactly what she was doing, which makes me think it wasn't her first time with a female."

None of us know what to say after that. There are so many emotions running through me right now and I have no idea which one is going to win.

Megan senses the tension between Allegra and myself. "Come on, girls. Let's get going. The murder house is waiting," she says to us.

The murder house is the house that belonged to the Lover's Lane slasher in the story I told Charlotte's Girl Scout troop a few weeks ago. I told the same story to Megan and Allegra and they insisted I take them to visit this piece of small town lore before they head back to LA tomorrow.

"This place is fucking amazing," Megan says when we head down into the basement of the murder house on First Street. "Is this really where everything happened?"

"Yeah," I tell her. "He would bring some of his victims here and cut them with a chain saw."

"Casey, you totally ripped that off of Texas Chain Saw Massacre," Allegra says as she rolls her eyes.

"Did not! You can check the newspapers and everything," I tell her.

We start scanning the walls with our flashlights and see that they are covered with the names and messages of every teenager in this town who has visited the house.

"Hey! Look at this!" I say to the girls as I shine my flashlight on a message written in pink marker. _Charlene Jablonsky and Chrissy Lacroix spent the night here and lived to tell about it. 10-31-1983. _ A few feet away was another message in the same handwriting and color. _Charlene loves Chris Novak. 2-14-1987._

"Aww, that's so cute!" Alex says as she wraps her arms around me from behind.

I pull a marker out of my purse that I brought just for this occasion. Next to the message my mom wrote to my dad, I write _Casey Novak loves Alex Novak. 10-31-2007._

"You guys are such nerds," Megan says to Alex and me. "Now tell me more about the house. Do you think it's haunted by the spirits of everyone who has died here?"

"It has to be," I tell her. "They were brutally murdered."

"BS," Alex says to us. "There's no such thing as ghosts. Next, you're going to be telling me you believe in fairies and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny."

Suddenly, we hear the stairs start to creak as if someone is making their way down. Alex lets out a high-pitched scream and buries her face in my shoulder. "It's the killer!" Alex turns toward the stairs and I can hear a quiver in her voice when she starts to speak. "Please don't hurt us. We're just stupid teenage girls. We don't know any better."

"Speak for yourself," Allegra says to her.

I shine the flashlight on the staircase and see that no one is standing there. "Alex, baby, it's okay. There's no one there."

"It must have been a ghost," Megan says to her in a mocking tone of voice.

"Casey, can we go home now?" Alex says to me. "We can all watch some scary movies or something."

"Lex, you hate scary movies."

"Yeah, but I'd rather watch one than _live _one," she says to me.

"No dice, we're staying," Megan says. "You better not bitch out, Alex."

"Fine," she says as she pouts. When Alex shines her light toward one of the corners of the room, she starts to scream again. "Casey! There's blood over there!"

"Of course there's going to be blood, Alex," Allegra tells her in an annoyed tone of voice.

I can't help but laugh, "Don't worry, Lex. I'll protect you," I tell her as I hold her close.

"Right, Casey. Cuz you're so butch," Megan says sarcastically.

Megan hands Alex the bottle of Jager. "Drink up, this will relax you," she tells her.

I grab the bottle and hand it back to Megan. "She can't drink, you idiot."

"Why not? She's not pregnant anymore," Megan says with a confused look.

"Yeah, but I'm still breastfeeding," Alex says to her sister. She's such a good mommy.

"Fine, we'll do something else," Megan sighs.

"Casey, truth or dare?" Allegra asks.

"Truth," I answer.

"Okay, this is the perfect question for where we're at right now. If me, you, Megan, and Alex were in a horror movie, in which order would we be killed and how?"

"It depends. What is the scenario?" I ask.

"Madman's subterranean prison," Allegra answers. "It's his own private torture chamber and he has every power tool imaginable to use on us."

"Creepy," Alex says.

"I want to do it," Megan says excitedly. "Allegra, baby, love of my life, I'm sorry but you'd probably be murdered first. Horror movie etiquette states that the slutty girl dies first and you're an even bigger slut than I am."

"Yeah, but you're a porn star, which is kind of like prostitution and the prostitute always dies first because she is the fallen woman in horror movie etiquette," Allegra says to her girlfriend.

Alex decides to join in. "Megan dies first but her death isn't that creative because it's the first one. She could possibly be stabbed once in the heart."

"Thanks, sis," Megan says as she starts laughing. "Next is Allegra. Allegra, you're beautiful and you're a model for a really preppy brand of clothing. When the audience sees you, they're going to think you're a bitch based solely on the way you look and everyone wants to see the pretty girl get murdered because it brings her down to their level. Your murder would probably be the most brutal. I'm thinking maybe your eyes being drilled out or you being sliced several times. Sorry babe."

"Alex is next," Allegra says. "She's sweet, but she's blonde and horror movie etiquette says that blondes always have to die. And she's so perfect. Her death wouldn't be as brutal as mine, but it will be prolonged. She'd be tortured, but mentally and not physically."

"Casey is the protagonist," Megan adds. "This means she may or may not die. Casey would be the one that the audience can relate to. She's cute, but not breathtakingly gorgeous. She's also smart and she's totally loyal. Casey would probably try to avenge our deaths, but the killer would still be after her. He'd probably try to kill her while wearing Alex's face or showing her Alex's mutilated body. He's going to try everything to break her. Even though she has a good chance of surviving, she'll spend the rest of her life wishing she were dead because she lost her wife and her friends and she will forever be traumatized by everything she has witnessed. She may kill herself or end up in an insane asylum. Those are her only options according to horror movie etiquette."

"You guys are so weird," Alex says to them.

"And that attitude is why you aren't the protagonist," Megan says as she shines the flashlight on her sister.

After two hours and two bottles of vodka and Jager, Allegra and Megan are having sex ten feet away from us. They're so drunk that I honestly don't think they remember we're here. Judging by the way they're going at it, death and blood on the walls must really turn these two on.

"Do you miss doing that?" Alex asks me after ten minutes of watching Allegra and Megan.

"Of course I do, but I'm just glad to have you back."

"I'm glad to be back too. Tonight is the first night I'll be able to sleep next to you since Kylie was born."

"I know," I say excitedly. "You look so beautiful, Alex."

"No, I don't."

"You do. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on."

Alex starts to kiss me and it suddenly doesn't matter that we can't make love. Sometimes kissing in a haunted house on Halloween night is enough.


	11. Chapter 11

dove in love: haha I love AE! I worked there for three years. Good times! Allegra sleeping with Casey's mom means Megan has a free pass. :)

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

Megan and Allegra went home two days ago and Alex and I have been bored out of our minds since then. We want to visit our baby, but I'm still not allowed in the NICU. Alex is going to visit her in a few hours, but I have to stay behind.

We've been in Colorado for four months now and we're running out of things to do. We're not in the mood to watch a movie and there's absolutely nothing on TV. There's also nobody to bother. Both of my sisters are at school, my dad is at work, and my mom took off somewhere. She told us she was going with Chrissy, but she left wearing a really tight, low-cut red dress. I told her the dress was too revealing and all she responded before shutting the door was, "I don't plan on wearing it that long."

I want to shout at her to stop acting like she's our age, but it's too late.

Alex senses my frustration and holds me close. "That's never going to be us. I can promise you that. We're never going to cheat on each other, Caseybear."

I grab my wife's hand and lead her to the attic. "I have a surprise for you. You're going to love it."

When we're in the attic, I show her a crib that was mine when I was a baby. "My daddy made this himself shortly before I was born. I talked to Daddy about it and he said he wants to pass it on to the next generation of Novak babies. I know this may sound weird, but it's a way for me to feel connected to Kylie. I want to be a good mommy, Alex. I do." Maybe it's a combination of not being able to see Kylie and my parents arguing, but I suddenly start crying.

"We're going to get through this, Caseybear. You'll be able to see our daughter very soon."

"When, Alex? She's five days old and I don't even know what she looks like. You don't know how that feels for me."

"I know I don't, but she'll come home to us soon and we're going to get to watch her grow up. We'll see her start school someday, go on her first date, go to college, and maybe we'll see her get married and start a family of her own. There's so many milestones left in Kylie's life and we're going to be there for each other throughout all of them."

I know what she just said is grounded in nothing other than her own hopes and dreams, but the look on her face right now fills me with comfort. Alex and I aren't Chris and Charlene. We're going to be together forever.

I can see Alex's eyes scanning the attic before they are fixed on a wardrobe closet. "What's in there?" she asks.

"Probably nothing you're interested in," I say to her, which only piques her interest.

"I'm going to look, anyway." She opens the wardrobe closet and we see pom poms and various cheerleader uniforms and warm-up attire.

"These were my mom's when she was a cheerleader for the Denver Broncos, the football team. She always said it was the happiest time of her life. I loved it too because whenever it was take your child to work day, my classmates would be so jealous of me because they would go to offices and I would go to football games and hang out with the cheerleaders and get autographs from all of the football players. She even bought me a kiddy replica of her uniform and we took pictures together on the field."

I show Alex a picture of my mom in her uniform and, after a few seconds, I practically have to pry it out of her hands. "She was really beautiful," Alex says to me.

"That's when she was about 24," I tell her. "Not bad for a mother of 3, right?"

"Not bad at all," Alex says and I see her still gazing at the picture.

"I think it's crazy how her being a cheerleader was what first attracted my dad to my mom when they were 15, but he hated her being an NFL cheerleader. He said she showed way too much skin for a mother and he made her quit after one season."

Like a woman obsessed, I go straight to the cedar chest in the corner of the attic that contains random artifacts from my mom's junior high and high school years. Yearbooks, more yearbooks, clothes, accessories, finally I find what I'm looking for.

"Jackpot!" I say and Alex rushes over.

"What's that?"

"Her diary," I say to my wife. Judging by the look on Alex's face, reading this would be very wrong.

"Casey, those were her most private thoughts and feelings. You can't just read it. That's a total invasion of privacy."

"Oh and it wasn't when she walked in on us last year?"

"Fine," she says. "Just don't get me involved."

I start reading aloud. "September 30, 1982. I fucking hate this town and the people in it." When I see that this has caught Alex's interest, I continue. "I got called in to the principal's office again and he plopped a copy of Playboy magazine on his desk and said to me 'Miss Jablonsky, if you don't straighten out, this is your future. You are one of the most airheaded girls I have ever met. You better pray to God that your looks don't fade.' My parents don't encourage me to do good in school. My mom tells me 'Charlene, with a face like that, you don't need to be smart.' I fucking hate my parents. They're country-clubbers so they're never around much. I hate this upper-middle-class bullshit life. I need something exciting to happen. I want to fall in love, but all the 8th grade boys are gross."

"October 27, 1982. There's a new girl in school. She has long, blonde hair and speaks with a Southern accent. She moved here from Mississippi and all of her fingernails are painted a different color. My friends think she's weird, but I want to hang out with her. She seems…different."

"November 1, 1982. I went to a Halloween party last night and the new girl was there. I found out her name is Chrissy Lacroix. She spent the night at my house and we played Truth or Dare. She asked if I had ever kissed anyone and I said no so she leaned in and kissed me…on the lips! Can you believe that? I didn't know it was possible for girls to kiss girls. I wasn't grossed out or anything. Her lips were soft and she wore vanilla flavored lip gloss. She went home a few hours ago and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her."

"November 30, 1982. I'm starting to like Chrissy the way I should be liking boys. One of my friends told me about something called masturbation today and how she touches herself when she thinks of a boy she likes. I know it's wrong, but I did that awhile ago when I thought of Chrissy. It doesn't seem like it's enough. I wonder if Chrissy does it too. I wonder if she thinks of me. I can't tell anyone about this. My friends will think I'm disgusting."

"Wow," Alex says. "I'm speechless."

"_You're_ speechless," I tell her. "Imagine how I feel."

"Keep going," Alex urges me. "It's getting good."

"December 20, 1982. Chrissy hadn't kissed me since Halloween, so I started to feel insecure. Did I look pretty that day and I haven't looked pretty since? I decided to stop being a baby about it and confront her. She said she was sorry and she kissed me under the mistletoe. My heart skipped a beat and I felt a thousand butterflies in my stomach. I think I'm in love. She also told me that she really likes me as more than a friend and I told her that I feel the same way. That's when she took off her favorite bracelet and as she was putting it on me, she asked if I would be her girlfriend. How could I say no? She's so beautiful and we have so much fun together. I gave her a kiss and told her I would love to be her girlfriend. She's going back to Mississippi for a whole week to visit her family for Christmas. A whole week without my girlfriend? I don't think I'll survive."

"January 1, 1983. 1982 is over. Happy 1983! Yay! This means I'm going to start high school in 8 months and I'm kind of excited. Christmas was boring, but New Years Eve was fun. Chrissy spent the night and we spent the whole time in my room watching MTV. When MTV got boring, we shut it off and I put on a mix tape that I made of my favorite love songs. Chrissy said it put her in the mood. When Foreigner's "Waiting For A Girl Like You" came on, she started singing to me. It was so cute! She says it's our song and I completely agree with her. When it was over, she started to kiss me. First on my lips and then on my neck. I was so nervous because we had only ever kissed on the lips before. After a few minutes of kissing, I slowly stuck my hand up Chrissy's shirt so I could touch her breasts. Her skin is so soft. That was the first time I had ever touched her there and I didn't want to stop. I wanted to unhook her bra but she wouldn't let me. She said we aren't ready for that yet. It doesn't matter that we didn't go that far. I'm still on cloud nine from getting to touch her. When it was time for bed, we fell asleep in each other's arms. Oh, Chrissy, I love you so much."

Alex and I decide to skip a few entries because we agreed that reading every entry would be an invasion of privacy, as if what we've read already wasn't.

"May 28, 1983. I can't stop smiling. I saw Chrissy naked today! It was on accident, but still. We were changing into our bathing suits in different rooms and I accidentally walked in on her. She got so embarrassed and I have no idea why. She has such a beautiful body. I couldn't stop looking at her. I took off my bathing suit in case that would make the moment less awkward. She smiled and then tackled me onto the bed. When she started to kiss me, I spread my legs underneath her so I could have more intimate contact. I let out a soft moan and Chrissy told me that was one of the most beautiful sounds she ever heard. P.S. I found out I'm the only incoming freshman to make the high school varsity cheerleading squad. Life is finally perfect."

"October 1, 1983. I love high school and Chrissy. And I love being a cheerleader, but I think Chrissy loves me being a cheerleader even more. I was in full uniform today because of a rally and Chrissy couldn't keep her hands off of me. She says she loves the short skirt and the tight-fitting top I have to wear. When we were laying down on my bed, she pulled my panties down and started to massage my clit. I started to do the same thing to her too. She was so wet and touching her felt so good. I think I experienced my first orgasm. I love Chrissy so much and she says she loves me too and she wants to marry me someday. And oh my gosh, but I think I'm ready to lose my virginity to her."

"That's where it stops," I tell Alex in frustration.

"What do you mean that's where it stops? That's too random."

We flip through empty pages until we see a piece of paper fall out.

"Young love," Alex says after awhile. "I almost felt like I was there when you were reading her diary."

"Lex, don't you realize that this changes everything. That stupid bitch, Charlene. I hate her right now. She knew exactly what I was going through, yet she still slapped me and pretended to be all high and mighty and tell me I was going to Hell."

"Casey, we don't know the whole story. Her diary ends so abruptly. What's that piece of paper say?"

I'm too angry to read it so I hand it to Alex to read it aloud. "November 1, 2007. My dearest Charlene, I'm writing this as I'm looking at the most beautiful sight I have ever seen: you asleep in my bed, in _our_ bed, after all these years. A few strands of your silky hair are tucked behind your ear and I can see the slightest hint of a smile, which makes me wonder if you're even asleep at all. It had been over 20 years since the last time I made love to you and, even though so much time has passed, making love to you still has just as much intensity as it did when we were 15. The only difference is now we don't have to worry about finishing before your parents come home. I actually had enough time to re-visit some of your original hot spots and discover a few new ones. I'll even admit that you taste even better than I remembered. I love you so much, Charlene. I never stopped loving you and I never will. I know you blame yourself for what happened to us, but we were only 15, sweetheart, and your mom had no right to do that to you. To this day, I still hate that woman. I'm sorry about everything that happened with Chris, but at the same time I'm glad he is seeing someone else. You've spent over 20 years hiding who you really are from your husband and your kids. I know telling your kids isn't going to be easy, but I'll be there for you when you decide to. You've given up so much for everyone else's happiness and it's time you start thinking about what you want for once in your life. You're such a beautiful woman and after 25 years, you still take my breath away, Charlene Jablonsky. Your devoted girlfriend (yet again), Chrissy."

Alex and I don't have time to process what we just read. We hear someone opening the front door so we put everything back where it's supposed to be and pretend as if nothing happen. If anyone asks, we were only there to see the crib.


	12. Chapter 12

dove in love: I think the only thing I hated about working at AE was pressuring people for credit cards. Ugh! haha. And oh no, Chris isn't a rapist. He's actually one of the good guys.

ilovesvu12: Aww, thanks. I'm glad you love the story. :)

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

Kylie is two weeks old now and her doctors say her condition is improving. In fact, she is now well enough to start having visitors. When I told Casey this last night, she was so excited that she started jumping up and down on her bed. We set our alarm for 6 a.m. so we could have as much time with Kylie as possible. I want Kylie to meet her grandma but when I suggested this to Casey, she said "I don't want that lying slut of a woman going anywhere near our daughter." It's been over a week since Casey and Charlene have spoken to each other, which means it's been a week since I've had to start playing the mediator. Charlene doesn't spend the night here anymore and she says she won't until the baby comes home. She stays with Chrissy every night, which wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have a 6-year-old daughter at home who is constantly asking for her mommy. Casey's sister Cassidy hates Charlene almost as much as Casey does. Cassidy is hoping to be captain of her cheerleading squad next year, which is something Charlene is supposed to be helping her with, but that's not happening anymore.

Casey's dad is home every night and he even brought his girlfriend April over to meet his kids. She's a really sweet woman. Mid-thirties, I'm assuming. She has a daughter Charlotte's age and the two of them hit it off really well. April isn't as beautiful as Charlene, but she is still pretty and definitely more mature and responsible. Cassidy says she is the type of mom who actually tries to be a mom instead of a best friend. Casey and Cassidy said Charlene was like that once, but that's changed over the past couple of months. Mr. Novak seems happy and I'm happy for him. Cassidy and I told him we would watch Charlotte and April's daughter Emma while he takes April on a date. After hearing that, Casey got up, slammed her chair down, and stormed out of the room. That was when I told her that she'd be able to see Kylie tomorrow. I had to tell her something to cheer her up. My wife's family is falling apart and neither Chris nor Charlene seem to care about what Casey wants.

That is why Kylie and I have to be her safe haven. We're all Casey has right now.

Casey couldn't stop smiling the moment we walked into the NICU. "Where is she? Where's our little girl?" she asked me.

I lead her to our daughter and Casey lets out cutest squee I have ever heard. "Alex! She is so beautiful! She looks like a little doll!"

Upon hearing Casey's voice, Kylie starts to smile. "Casey, she already loves you. I haven't seen her smile like this before," I tell my adorable, excited wife.

"Her eyes are as blue as yours and she has blonde hair like you! She's like a miniature Alex!" Casey tells me.

"Do you want to hold her, Caseybear?"

"I thought we couldn't."

"Well, as of today, she can be held. I want you to be the first to hold her."

I didn't think it was possible, but Casey's smile gets even wider as she cradles our daughter in her arms. "Hi, Kylie! I'm your mommy Casey. Your mommy Alex and I love you very much. We can't wait to take you home, little one. We're going to hold you all the time and give you lots of love and kisses. You're so lucky to have Alex as your mommy. She's such a caring woman and I know she's going to be a great mommy. You're all she talks about. I know you're going to love Alex as much as I do."

I'm trying hard not to cry. I know they'd be tears of joy, but I don't want to Casey to think I'm sad. Casey and Kylie are so cute together and I love them both so much.

I notice Kylie is starting to get fussy. I think that means she's hungry, which is making me nervous. I've never breastfed her before. We've only been using the pump, which always feels so weird. I'm actually going to get to bond with Kylie in the proper way that mothers bond with their babies. I hope I remember everything Charlene told me. I know I can just ask one of the nurses, but I'm far too embarrassed.

"Honey, why do you look so worried?" Casey asks.

"No reason," I tell her before I lead her to a secluded spot meant for feeding.

"I want to feed her," Casey tells me.

"Sweetie, I don't think you can."

"Why not? Isn't there a bottle or something?"

"Casey, I have to give her breast milk, not formula. It's healthier for her."

"Oh….OH….Okay, I get it," she says as she starts to blush. "Yeah, that's something I don't have."

I get Kylie from Casey and sit down with her. "You may not be able to feed her, but if you want you can give her my breast so you feel as if you're still a part of everything."

Casey gently lifts up the right side of my sweater and undoes the front clasp of my nursing bra. After she gives Kylie my breast, she kneels beside us and watches in awe. "This has to be the most beautiful sight I have ever seen," she says.

"What?" I ask even though I'm aware of what her answer will be.

"You're feeding our baby, Alex. She's getting her nourishment from your body. It's all so beautiful."

Casey and I decide to spend the night in the NICU. We don't want to spend any more time away from our daughter, the love of our lives. That night, Casey and I had a talk about how screwed up our mothers are. She doesn't want to be like Charlene and I don't want to be like Alison. We're going to do everything possible to make sure that Kylie's moms are nothing like ours.


	13. Chapter 13

dove in love: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I always have a soft spot for baby stories. Oh and Casey is going to find out verrrrryyyy soon. :)

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

Kylie is a month old now and we're finally able to bring her home with us. Even though she is far from crawling, Casey and I spent hours baby-proofing the room. We also had to make sure everything else was set up. She has a crib, blankets, a drawer full of clothes, a teddy bear for her to cuddle up to, and anything else a little baby might need.

Casey and I filled out the information for Kylie's birth certificate today. Kylie Alexandra Novak: born 12:05 a.m. on October 29, 2007. Mother: Alexandra Vivian Novak: Age 19. I love everything about that, except for the 'age 19.' Even though Casey isn't mentioned on Kylie's birth certificate, she is still thrilled that we both have her last name. When we get back to California, we plan on looking into second-parent adoption so Casey could legally be Kylie's mom. It's all so exciting. I can't wait to show her off to everyone. This little bundle of joy actually belongs to Casey and me.

To our disappointment, Kylie sleeps most of the time. Although she looks so cute in her crib, I wish she were awake so we could play with her. April and Casey's dad Chris came into our room a few minutes ago to see the baby. Chris was almost teary-eyed when he saw that his granddaughter was sleeping in the crib he had built for his daughter almost 20 years ago. He and April gave me a hug and then he playfully slugged Casey in the arm and told her she was a father now.

When Chris and April are about to head out, I hear the front door open and Charlotte shout out "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy is home! And Chrissy!"

Fuck.

"Well, I might as well say hi to her," Chris says to us. Chrissy is his boss so this whole situation must be awkward as hell for him.

"Where is my granddaughter?" Charlene asks excitedly, not paying attention to anyone else in the room.

Her loud tone of voice wakes up Kylie and she immediately starts to cry.

"Thanks a lot, Charlene," Casey says to her. "You could have just picked her up instead of running your damn mouth."

"Chris, I think we should get going now," April says to Casey's dad.

"You're right," he says. "Chrissy, I'll see you tomorrow. Excuse us."

Once Chris and April leave, I start to look over Chrissy and Charlene. Chrissy is a smooth talker and slightly arrogant, which is how she was able to get ahead at the brokerage firm her and Chris work at. Everyone has to answer to her and to their disappointment, she makes more money for doing a lot less than they do. She has a great sense of style. Her hair is neatly pulled back in a ponytail and she is wearing a black pencil skirt with a baby blue long-sleeve button-up shirt. Her shoes are heels, but not too high. Everything about this woman commands respect. She is so poised and sophisticated. Charlene, on the other hand, is merely her trophy girlfriend. Chrissy likes her in revealing dresses or tight jeans with low-cut shirts, anything to say to the guys at work, "This is what I have and you don't." The power dyke and the former NFL cheerleader. Maybe they were a cute couple when they were teenagers, but I just don't see it now. This isn't going to work. I just know it.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Chrissy decides to break the ice. "Char, I'm going to head home now. Are you coming with me?"

Charlotte looks at her mom with pleading eyes. "Mommy, please don't go. I never see you anymore."

Chrissy starts to smile after hearing that. "Your mommy is going to stay here with you tonight," Chrissy says to Charlotte. "And tomorrow, we're taking you and your little friend Shianne to Chuck E. Cheese's. How's that sound?"

"Yay!" Charlotte says.

Charlene walks over to her girlfriend and gives her a hug. "You're so sweet," she tells her.

Chrissy gives her a half-smile. "No, I'm not. What makes you think I don't have a hidden agenda?"

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning, this Friday and Saturday, you're mine. I booked us a weekend getaway at a spa. It'll be so relaxing. Plus, at night it will just be you and me in our hotel suite with a bottle of champagne and that lacy pink lingerie I bought for you yesterday."

The two of them kiss right in front of us. It's nothing like the shock-value kiss she shared with Allegra. This is real and passionate like the way I kiss Casey.

"Kissing is gross!" Charlotte says. "I'm never going to do that. Scott from my class tried to kiss me on the jungle gym and I punched him in the arm."

Casey high-fives her sister. "That's my girl. Don't let anyone touch you in any way you don't want to be touched."

Sometimes that's easier said than done.

After Chrissy leaves and Charlotte goes to her room to play Barbies, Charlene comes back to our room to hold her granddaughter.

"She's so beautiful. What's the final verdict on her name?"

"Kylie Alexandra," I tell her proudly. "Casey chose her middle name. She wanted her to be named after me."

"Just like Chris wanted Casey's middle name to be Charlene. He said she would be named after the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on."

"Oh, so does that mean he's going to change my middle name to April?" Casey asks as she gives her mom a smug look.

"Casey, what's your problem?"

"You are, you hypocritical bitch."

"What are you talking about?"

"I read your diary."

Charlene is speechless.

"Yeah, _that_ diary," Casey says. "You knew exactly what I was going through and yet you tormented me and hit me."

Charlene's voice becomes stern and I can see the rage in her eyes that I saw last winter. "Casey, you're lucky all I did was slap you. If you only knew what my mom did to me when she found out I was with Chrissy."

"That's still no excuse! You should have been better than your mom just like I'm going to be a better mom than you!"

"What happened?" I ask to ease the tension.

I can see a tear roll down her cheek. "I was 15 when it happened. I was madly in love with Chrissy. We had lost our virginity to each other a few months earlier and it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my whole life. After that, we couldn't get enough of each other, which was our downfall. One day after school, we were so eager to be with each other that we forgot to lock my bedroom door and my mom walked in on us kissing. Just kissing. I don't even want to know what she would have done if she walked in on us making love. She sent Chrissy home and said that she had to talk to me about what just happened. Well, instead of talking, she hit me in the mouth as hard as she possibly could and busted my lip. Even though I was already bleeding from my lip, she grabbed one of my belts and started beating me with it until my whole body was numb. She didn't offer me an explanation and every time I'd ask, she'd hit me even more. Nobody stopped her even though they knew what she was doing to me, including my own father. I was in such bad shape that I had to miss school for two weeks until my bruises and gashes all healed. Those two weeks at home were hell. She kept an eye on me at all times. She even went through my stuff. I started keeping a second diary after my relationship with Chrissy became sexual and that's the one that she found. She made me burn it along with every love letter Chrissy had ever written me and every picture we had taken together. She said if she ever caught me with another girl, she'd beat me all over again. That's when the brainwashing started. All this talk about going to Hell and how it's a deprived lifestyle and it's disgusting and lesbian sex isn't real sex. After awhile, I started to believe it and what she was saying stuck with me. I wanted to try my hardest to be what I thought was normal and it was working until I caught the two of you. That's when my internalized homophobia went into overdrive. It wasn't that I thought what you were doing was disgusting; it was more along the lines of me being angry that you two had what I couldn't have. And seeing how you ended up defying me and getting back together made me realize that I should have done the same with Chrissy all those years ago. I know you don't approve of it, but I'm in love with Chrissy and she's in love with me, too. I still love your father, but not in the same way. We stopped having sex a few months ago because I just couldn't get myself to do it anymore. I told him that I kept having fantasies about being with a woman and even though it hurt him to know that, he ended up finding April and I know he's happy with her. Allegra was actually the first person other than Chrissy that I mentioned any of this to. I wanted to know if I could still be sexual with a woman before I tried anything with Chrissy and, in her own way, she helped me out with that. I know it seems wrong that I had sex with my son's best friend, but she's 22 and a grown woman now. It was something we both wanted and by doing that I realized I'd be able to have a healthy sexual relationship with Chrissy."

At this point, I honestly don't know if I should side with Charlene or my wife. She endured way more abuse than Casey did, but does that really justify what she did to Casey last December?

"I should probably go help Cassidy with her new routine," Charlene tells us before leaving. "Oh, and Alex, there's something for you on the kitchen table. It's from New York. There's no name or anything on it though."

There doesn't need to be a name. I know exactly who it's from.

I grab the letter from the table and quickly take it back to the room so Casey and I can read it together.

_Dear Alex,_

_It's taken me weeks to get the courage to write this to you and even if you receive it there's no guarantee you'll actually read it. I got this address from something Casey had mailed to you last year and I'm going out on a limb and assuming you're staying with her and her family now that the holidays are approaching. I miss you and your sister more than words can say. Over the past few months, I've been looking at pictures of the two of you when you were little and it made me realize how quickly the time has gone by. You're not little girls anymore; you're grown women, and I never took the time to really get to know either of you._

_I blame myself for what happened to you and Megan. I should have been there to protect the two of you. I know this doesn't make things right, but Mike and I are divorced now. I couldn't stand to look at him anymore after knowing what he did to my two best girls. _

_I'm trying my hardest, Alex, and I hope you'll be able to forgive me. I know you're almost 20, but I feel it's never too late for us to start having a mother/daughter relationship. I want to know everything you've been up to lately. Last time we talked, you told me you and Casey just got engaged. How is that going? Have you gotten married yet?_

_I hope to hear from you soon, my little honeybee._

_Love Always,_

_Mom_

Her little honeybee? She hasn't called me that since I was 5-years-old. I have the sudden urge to be close to my daughter so I rush over to Kylie's crib and pick her up.

"I love you, Kylie, and I'm going to be such a good mommy to you. I'm going to always be there for you and I promise I'll never lie to you or keep any secrets from you," I tell my daughter, well aware that Casey can hear me.

Alison was young when she had me and Charlene was even younger when she had Casey. Maybe it's not their fault that they are the way they are. Maybe they're just searching for a part of themselves that they lost by having children so young. Maybe Charlene's way of coping is her promiscuity and Alison's is her alcoholism. What will mine be someday?

No, that's not happening. I'll break the cycle, Kylie. I promise.


	14. Chapter 14

JeffHardy724: Poor Case. She never has things easy. At least she has Alex though.

dove in love: I updated ASAP. haha. Your review made me happy, especially the part about feeling like you're in the room with them. I like the way your family looks at things.

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

"_Think of all the fun I've missed. Think of all the girls I haven't kissed. Next year, I could be just as good, if you check off my Christmas list. Santa baby, I want a yacht and really that's not a lot, I've been an angel all year. Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight," _my wife sings to me as she straddles my lap on a chair. It's been forever since the seductive side of Alex has shown and I've almost forgotten how sexy she can be. As the song continues, she removes her sweater while she is still on my lap. Alex makes sure I have a close-up of her now bigger breasts as she is clad only in a skirt and a low-cut tank top. It's been four months since we've had sex and I'm trying my hardest not to rip her clothes off and ravish her body right now.

"I really don't want to see two chicks go at it," my best friend Sam teases us. Seriously, Sam, my wife just had a baby and she is finally starting to get in touch with her sexuality again. Don't fuck this up for me. I should have told him that, but instead Alex starts blushing and her little peep show comes to an end.

"Sam, you fucking faggot," I tell him, half jokingly and half in frustration.

"You love me, bitch, you know you do," he says as he flashes me a heart symbol with his hands.

Although we try to stay out of each other's sex lives, Sam Lacroix has been my best friend since…birth. He is one month younger than me and we believe that his mom Chrissy got pregnant once she found out Charlene was pregnant with me. Those two are weird like that and Sam and I agree that they've gotten even weirder.

"I'm fucking surrounded by lesbians," Sam tells us. "I come home for winter break and the next night I find my mom wearing a strap-on and fucking Casey's mom really hard against the wall. Can they not close the fucking door when they're doing that? Seriously." Sam starts to laugh. "Oh, and Case, judging by the way my mom was pounding yours with that strap-on, your mom _really_ knows how to take a dick, probably even better than I do."

"She does," Allegra says with a look in her eyes as if she is reminiscing. "And she gives great head."

"Enough!" I say to the two of them. "Can we please just talk about something else?" I swear if we don't change the topic of conversation, Allegra is going to get slapped by either me or Megan or possibly both of us.

It's mid-December and the six of us are in my living room for a little pre-Christmas kickback. I haven't seen Sam since Thanksgiving and I haven't seen Allegra and Megan since Kylie was born, so this is a welcome distraction from all the drama that's been going on in my life lately.

Sam brings out a bottle of vodka from my kitchen and starts to pass it around. Alex and I both decline, but of course Allegra and Megan accept.

"Did you get a letter from Alison?" Megan asks Alex after her buzz starts to take effect.

"Yeah, I don't know how to reply to it, though. Did you write back to her?" Alex asks.

"I wrote _Dear Alison, Fuck you. _And then I mailed it just like that," Megan tells her sister. Her actions earn a passionate kiss from Allegra.

"Stop bogarting the baby, bitch," Allegra says to Alex. "I want to hold her. Come to Auntie Allegra, Kylie." Megan and Allegra become pre-occupied with the baby, which gives me the opportunity to have some cuddle time with my wife.

I can't help obsessing over how hot she looks. It's been a month and a half since Kylie was born and she already has her figure back, only she looks even better now. Her once 00 body is now a size 2 and way more womanly. Just holding her is making me horny; I can just imagine how I'd feel if I were to see her naked. Damn, she is really starting to fill out on top, too.

I can't help it. I get even closer to her so I can whisper in her ear, "I'm going to make you cum so hard tonight."

"So, what are you waiting for?" Alex whispers in return.

I know it's rude to leave our guests, but I grab Alex's hand and lead her to our bedroom. Since we're on borrowed time, we undress each other as quickly as possible.

"Do you have a condom?" Alex asks in between kisses.

"What? Why would we need one of those?"

"The strap-on," she says, almost out of breath. "We haven't sterilized it yet."

"Lex, you have to be kidding me."

"Please, Casey," she pleads with me.

I throw caution to the wind and run half-naked to my sister Cassidy's room. Thank goodness she or the rest of my family isn't home. I quickly grab a condom from her drawer and return to Alex.

When I return, I find her laying impatiently on our bed. I put the strap-on and condom on as quickly as possible.

Alex and I have never used toys before so this whole situation is awkward. "How do you want to do this?" I ask. "Do you need lube or anything?"

Alex starts to blush. "Casey, I'm pretty much greased up and ready to go."

There are so many positions I want Alex in right now, but we're new to this so I decide to let Alex control the pace.

I sit on the edge of the bed and tell Alex to straddle me. "I want you to be comfortable, okay?"

"Okay," she tells me after one of the most passionate kisses we've shared in a long time.

Alex slowly lowers herself onto the toy and I can see that she is trying to get used to the length and the thickness of what's inside of her right now. After a couple of minutes of kisses and me telling her how sexy she looks in this position, the look in Alex's beautiful blue eyes changes from discomfort to need.

An hour later, Alex and I are lying on our bed with barely enough energy to give each other one of our post-coital kisses.

"That was _so_ worth the four months we waited," I tell her.

"Yeah. I just never want to wait that long again," Alex says to me as she starts putting her clothes back on. "Come on, Case. We have guests downstairs."

"Way to be obvious," Megan says as we enter the living room.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You two were so loud. We heard everything," Megan laughs.

"And Alex's hair is completely tangled," Sam adds.

We wait for a sarcastic remark from Allegra, but she isn't even paying attention to us. She is way too focused on Kylie.

"When are we going to have one of these?" she asks Megan.

"I thought you didn't want kids," Megan says to her girlfriend.

"I didn't until I saw how bonded Casey and Alex are with Kylie and how much they love her. You and I love each other and I think we could share that love by starting a family," Allegra tells her.

I start to tease Allegra about being a softie, but her and Megan are completely ignoring me. "We'll start our family someday, babe. I've been thinking about that a lot lately," Megan says before kissing Allegra.

"Too bad there isn't a way for the kid to have DNA from both of you," Sam cuts in. "If so, he or she would be totally hot."

"This whole baby thing isn't going to happen for years though," Megan adds. "I'm only 19 and I still want to get drunk or high on a daily basis."

"Now _that_ is the twin I remember," Alex says and they both start giggling.

"And I still want plenty of time to fuck the hell out of Megan without any interruptions," Allegra adds. "Oh shit! I probably shouldn't have said 'fuck' in front of Kylie!" She covers Kylie's little ears. "You didn't hear that, little one."

"Your Auntie Megan and Auntie Allegra are a couple of trash mouths and I do _not_ want you picking up on that habit, young lady," Alex says to Kylie as she gets her from Allegra.

Before Kylie was born, Alex and I swore that we wouldn't be the type of parents that constantly had their baby in their arms, but ever since we almost lost Kylie, that idea went right out the window. She is being held 24/7 by us, her grandma, her grandpa, or her Aunt Cassidy. Right now, she is bundled up in her mommy Alex's arms and I know that's Kylie's favorite place to be. Whenever Alex and Kylie are face to face, Kylie's favorite thing to do is touch Alex's glasses. It's only a matter of time before she can pull them right off of her face.

"I can't believe you're married, Casey, and you have a baby," Sam says to me. "That makes me feel freakin' old, I swear. I remember when we were kids and we would watch Power Rangers together everyday after school. And the times your mom would take us to football games and we'd get to hang out with the team. I honestly believe seeing all those strong, athletic men was what made me gay."

"And hanging out with all of those flawless-looking cheerleaders in tight clothes is what did it for me," I add.

"Good times, good times," Sam says. "And now my mom is going to be your mom and vice versa. Not that I didn't already consider your mom to be my mom, too."

"What are you talking about?"

"My mom is proposing to your mom tonight," Sam informs me. "She got her the most to-die-for ring. Your mom designed it herself when she was 13. She told my mom it was the engagement ring of her dreams so my mom had it custom made for her. It cost her like 15 grand, but she says Charlene is worth it and that she's been waiting over 20 years to marry her."

"No!" I say.

"Yes!" Sam insists.

"Aww, that's so cute! I'm so happy for them!" Alex says excitedly.

"…and another one bites the dust," Allegra adds. "So many couples giving in to marriage these days."

There are no words to describe what I'm feeling right now. Must grab vodka bottle. Alcohol solves everything. I grab the bottle from Megan and start to chug.

"Casey! Slow down!" she says to me, but her words go in one ear and out the other.

Before I stop drinking, half the bottle has been consumed. I'm going to hate myself in the morning when I'm hungover, but at least I will forget everything I heard tonight.

"Know what? Fuck them!" I say to my friends, knowing my words are slurred.

"Casey, stop being a little bitch," Allegra tells me. "Your family life is not half as fucked up as the rest of ours. My dad ran out on my mom when he found out she was pregnant. I've never met him, but he'd send me a birthday card every year like it's supposed to justify what he did."

"And may I remind you that Alex and I lost our dad when we were fourteen and we had to live with Mike and Alison after that. Mike couldn't keep his hands off of us and Alison couldn't keep her mouth off a whiskey bottle," Megan says with hurt in her voice.

"I never met my dad," Sam adds. "I don't even know who he is. My mom doesn't even know who he is. I was the product of a one-night stand. My mom never had a relationship after her and Charlene broke up. She was too devastated. Instead it was just a slew of one-night stands with random men and women."

"If this makes you feel bad, imagine how Cassidy and Charlotte feel. They're still young, Casey. You're a grown ass woman with a family of your own now," Megan tells me.

"I think our generation is just numb to all of this now. There are no more perfect families," Alex tells us. "Even though we may not feel as if what Casey is going through is anywhere near as bad as what we've went through, it's still painful for her and if she wants to cry or be angry about it, I'm going to be there for her the whole time."

The tears start streaming from my eyes and I can feel my voice grow timid. "I just want my mommy and daddy to be together again," I tell them. "Is that so bad? I want things to be the way they were when everyone was happy."

"Yeah, but was everyone really happy?" Allegra asks. "Maybe it's all going to work out for the best, Casey."

Megan rushes over to hold me. "I'm sorry sister-in-law. But on the bright side, your parents still love you very much. You have a wife who loves you more than life itself, a beautiful baby daughter, and friends who are there for you. We all love you, Casey."

When the tears stop falling, I glance over at Alex holding our baby. For once my wife was wrong. There _are_ perfect families: Alex, Casey, and Kylie. Our parents can do whatever they want with their lives. What matters is that I get to spend mine with my soul mate and the daughter who brightens our world.


	15. Chapter 15

dove in love: I'd kill for a boyfriend/girlfriend that listened to me too! :) I'm sorry that your mom acted like that. I hope things are better now. I love you, too. :)

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><p><em>February 17, 2008<em>

_Dear Mom,_

_I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write back to you. You were right; I am with Casey's family, but not for the reasons you think I am._

_I hope you like the picture I've enclosed with this letter. It's me with your granddaughter. Her name is Kylie and she's three and a half months old now. You're a smart woman, so by now you're probably calculating Kylie's age and the gestational period to try to figure out when she was conceived. I'll save you the trouble and tell you that she was conceived exactly one year ago today. Although I consider her to be mine and Casey's baby; in reality, she is Mike's baby as well. Kylie may be his baby, but she will never know about him or what he did to me. How could you not believe he raped me that day? Did you not see the blood on the sheets or see how hysterically I was crying when I told you?_

_I wasn't going to write back to you, but Casey's mom told me I should. She's been helping me with Kylie over the past few months. In fact, Casey and I have been living with her parents since July. We're going back to LA next month and I'm already dreading it. Casey's family has been like the family I've always dreamed of having._

_I'm 20 today, Mom. Can you believe it? Not a single birthday has passed by in which I haven't dreamed of what we would do together if we had a better relationship. For my 13__th__ birthday, I imagined we would go shopping and you'd teach me how to put on make-up. Now it's my 20__th__ and I am imagining you here with Kylie and me. You'd give me a hug and congratulate me and tell me for the first time that you're proud of me. Then you'd hold Kylie and fall in love with her. She really is a beautiful baby and she's so good too. She rarely cries. I know she's only three and a half months but she is growing up so fast. She's already able to sit up by herself and she can recognize mine and Casey's voices. Casey loves Kylie so much. She says it doesn't matter that Kylie doesn't have her DNA; she still treats her like she's her own._

_I wanted to tell you this sooner, but Casey and I are married now. We didn't have a ceremony or anything; we just signed some papers. I've never wanted a big wedding. What matters to me is that I am now Mrs. Novak and I'm going to be for the rest of my life. I really love her, mom. Casey is everything I've ever wanted. _

_Megan told me what she said in the letter she wrote you. I hope you didn't take it too personally. You know how Megan is….or maybe you don't. Megan went through more than I did so it's only normal for her not to be ready to forgive you yet. I promise she'll forgive you when she's ready. Just please don't pressure her; it will only push her away. Megan is doing really well for herself though. She finished up her apprenticeship at a tattoo shop, so now she actually gets to be a tattoo artist. Isn't that cool? She's one step closer to owning her own shop, which has been a dream of hers since we were 16. She also has a girlfriend now and I promise you she's better than Karen. Her name is Allegra and she's 23. She went to school with Casey and me, but now she's a med student. She's going to be neurosurgeon someday; that's how smart she is. And she's drop dead gorgeous. She used to model when she was an undergrad. You've probably seen her pictures in the store windows of Abercrombie & Fitch. She's so perfect for Megan; their personalities really complement each other. Megan says she's so in love with Allegra and she wants to spend the rest of her life with her. I know she will._

_Since I'm heading back to LA soon, maybe you can come see me. I think I'm ready now._

_With Love,_

_Alex_

I drop the letter in the mailbox and rip a piece of paper out of my notebook to get started on another letter, one that is long overdue.

_Dear Daddy,_

_I miss you everyday of my life, but I miss you even more on my birthday. I remember how you'd wake Megan and me up really early in the morning and we'd all eat Oreos and milk for breakfast. That was my favorite birthday tradition. Then you'd give me a hug and say "Stop growing, Alexandra. I'm not ready for you to stop being my little girl." I don't care how old I get; I promise I'll always be your little girl._

_I never told you this to your face, but you're the best friend I've ever had. I know I complained a lot about you not letting us wear spaghetti strap shirts or make-up when Megan and I were in middle school, but I know you did it for our own good. You were always looking out for us and now that I'm a parent I can actually appreciate all you did for us. I know you know I was raped and I know you're probably upset that there was nothing you can do about it, but you always taught me to look on the bright side and that's exactly what I'm doing. If that wouldn't have happened to me, I wouldn't have given birth to Kylie. I wish you could hold her. She looks like a Cabot, just like her mom!_

_Daddy, I'm married! Can you believe it? Her name is Casey and she's so beautiful! She's a red head just like mom. I know, I know; you and I both love red heads. Except she's nothing like Mom. Casey is the most wonderful young woman in this whole world. She's always looking out for me and when I'm in her arms I feel as if that's exactly where I'm supposed to be. I'm so in love with her and I know my love for her will only grow as time goes on. I hope you don't think I'm too young to get married and have a baby. I'm still going to get my B.A. and then go to law school after that. I want to be a lawyer just like you. I'm even hoping to go to Harvard Law School just like you did. _

_Last year, Megan told me that Mom wanted to get an abortion, but you begged her not to. Thank you so much for talking her out of it. I know life can be hard sometimes, but I'm so grateful for every single day of my 20-year-old existence. Casey says she's grateful for what you did, too, because had Mom gone through with the abortion she wouldn't have her wife or her daughter. Isn't Casey amazing? I wish you could meet her, Daddy. I know you'd love her. _

_The Red Sox won the World Series last year! For some reason, Megan and I feel as if you had a part in that. Are you up there bargaining with God? I wouldn't doubt it if you are._

_I love you, Daddy, and I'll always be your Princess Alexandra. _

_Love Always,_

_Alex_

I fold the second letter and tuck it away in my drawer. It can't be mailed out, but I have a feeling my dad knows exactly what it says.


	16. Chapter 16

dove in love: I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I think it's really sweet that you write to him, though. Thanks, you're insanely sweet as well. :)

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

"No, thank you. I still can't drink," Alex says to my mom when she offers her a shot of vodka.

"But that doesn't mean I can't," Chrissy says as she takes the shot glass my mom had offered to Alex.

It's been three months since my mom and Chrissy got engaged and this is the first time Alex and I have actually spent time with them as a couple. I'm still not that comfortable with it, but since my mom and dad's divorce is final now and Alex and I are moving back to LA in two days, I figure we might as well spend _some _time with them. Plus, we rarely see them now that my mom has moved all of her stuff out of my dad's house and into Chrissy's.

"Casey, honey, you want a shot?" Chrissy asks.

"Hell yes, I do!"

"Binge drinking? Is that what they're teaching you at that 40 thousand dollar a year school that we had to take out loans for?" my mom asks.

"No, Mom, I actually learned that from you," I tell her, knowing damn well what her response is going to be. But I was wrong. Instead, her and Chrissy give each other a look as if there's some inside joke that Alex and I aren't allowed to know about.

"So, Casey, your mom says you joined a sorority last year. Which one was it?" Chrissy asks.

"Gamma Pi Delta," I say to her matter-of-factly.

"No way! That's my sorority!" Chrissy says excitedly. "I pledged during Fall 1987. And don't remind me how ancient that makes me seem."

I still don't believe her for some reason. "What's your chapter and class?"

"Zeta Chapter, Delta Xi class," Chrissy states.

"What's your bead color?"

"Gold," Chrissy responds. "And yours?"

"Gold," I answer. "And if I were to ask you to take a shot…"

"I would take it like this," Chrissy says as we tap the glass to the table three times in unison and slide our glass to each other before taking our shot.

"Holy shit! You _are_ a G-Pi!" I say excitedly.

"Of course I am. I've actually just been elected President of the National Council," Chrissy says to me. "I take office in the Fall."

"My stepmom is President of the Gamma Pi Delta National Council? Wait'll I tell my line sisters. They're going to be so jealous!" I say to Chrissy. Okay, maybe my mom being a homo isn't such a bad thing after all.

"Oh, so now she's your stepmom?" my mom asks as she messes up my hair.

"Being President of the National Council is like a dream come true. That's what I was hoping to achieve someday, but I don't even think I'll get to be Pledge Mistress or President of my chapter."

"I can pull some strings for you, darling," Chrissy says in her oh so charming southern accent.

"Thanks. Do you think you could?"

"Casey, you need to learn how to utilize the sisterhood. I can teach you all about alumni networking and how to get the most out of G-Pi. Hell, I can even tell you some of the G-Pi secrets and traditions that date all the way back to the founding of the first chapter."

I rush over to hug Chrissy. "Stepmommy?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you more than regular mommy."

"I love you more than Charlene too," Chrissy says to me.

My mom scoffs. "Well, both of you can just fuck off because Alex has always been my favorite. And she's cuter than both of you combined."

"What can I say? Charlene and I are the hot ones," Alex says as she smiles at Chrissy and me.

"Charlene, Casey looks like you," Chrissy adds.

"Oh, yeah. Well, shut up…and you're not getting any tonight," Charlene tells her future wife. I can tell the five shots she's taken have already gotten to her. I love when my mom is drunk. She's actually tolerable.

An hour later, Alex is sober and holding Kylie, I'm feeling a light buzz, and my mom and Chrissy are drunk out of their minds.

"So, how did you two meet?" Alex asks them even though she has already read about the way they met in my mom's diary.

"Oh my god, we're going to journey back to 1982 here, children," Chrissy says to Alex and me. "I was at a Halloween party and, as the new kid, I didn't know anyone there. Anyway, Charlene walks in fashionably late, wearing a sweater and her short little cheerleading skirt. She looked so gorgeous, but very _very_ unapproachable. She fucking had an entourage of all the hottest guys in school and they were all hanging on her every word. I remember at that moment, the song "Just What I Needed" came on and I thought it was all so fucking perfect, you know? Anyway, I thought she was going to be a total bitch, but the first thing she did when she got to the party was lose her entourage and introduce herself to me. We talked for a couple of hours and the whole time I just thought about what it would be like to kiss her."

"And that's when I invited her over to my place to spend the night and she decides to put the moves on me," Charlene adds.

"Baby, you make it sound so cheap. I did _not_ put the moves on you. It was a harmless game of Truth or Dare and I kissed you and I know for a fact that you enjoyed it."

"Anyway, she was so cute!" Chrissy tells us. "After we kissed, her first words to me were 'Your lips taste like birthday cake!' Then she kissed me again. And again. And again."

"And again," my mom says before giving Chrissy a quick kiss. "Except now, her lips taste like that damn expensive but waxy tasting lipstick she wears everyday. Still, I just can't get enough of her."

"You two are so disgusting," I tease.

"Hey! I've been in love with Charlene for over 25 years and now she's finally mine again after all these years of waiting for her to come to her senses—"

"Come to my senses?" my mom asks Chrissy.

"Okay, not that. I mean I've been in love with you for all these years and I wasn't able to kiss you or make love to you or even hold you and that was so excruciating for me. And what was worse was that you were so brainwashed and you were being told to deny who you really are. So, now that you're finally mine again, I'm going to do nothing but spoil you and cherish every single moment we have together. And I know I can't legally marry you in this state, but I still want you to take my last name and be my Mrs. Charlene Lacroix."

My mom kisses her fiancé and I can see a dreamy look in Alex's eyes. "That's so cute! Casey, why don't you say cute things to me anymore?"

"We've been together for over a year now, Lex. We're an old married couple. Our love isn't cute anymore," I tease.

"Casey, darling, you should try to be a little more romantic," Chrissy tells me.

"Umm…that's definitely not what they need. Those two stain the sheets with their…female love jelly," my mom says to Chrissy.

"Charlene! Are we 12?" Chrissy laughs. "Female love jelly?"

"I don't care what it's called. I just love tasting it," Alex cuts in.

My mom starts laughing hysterically. "Oh my god! So do I!" she says.

"Okay, okay. This is starting to cross into the territory of TMI," I say in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"You are so fucking frigid," my mom tells me. "My poor daughter-in-law. I hope you satisfy her. She's so hot. If you don't please her, I will."

"I wouldn't mind that," Alex says as she blushes.

Okay, now it's going too far. "Mom, you're drunk! You don't know what you're saying!"

"Char, are you going to the G-Pi Mother's Day brunch this year?" Chrissy asks in an attempt to change the subject.

"What?" my mom responds, her speech starting to slur.

"It's a G-Pi tradition in which they celebrate Mother's Day and they announce the new officers," Chrissy tells her. "Casey is going to be a junior next year, so this is a really big deal for her."

"Sure. Why not?" my mom says as she starts chugging the bottle of vodka.

"Charlene! Stop! You're going to make yourself sick," Chrissy says as she makes an unsuccessful attempt at snatching the bottle away from her.

"Oh my fucking goodness, Christiane. Vodka is a fucking bitch drink. This isn't even going to phase me. You remember how wasted we used to get back in the day. And that fucking coke you used to give me. You'd be like 'come on, Charlene, take it. It gives you tons of energy and helps you stay super skinny. How else are you going to handle the kids and married life without killing yourself because of the monotony?' That shit made my nose bleed, Christiane, you whore. I was in the hospital for three days because of an overdose." Ordinarily this is the kind of thing people would be upset about, but not my mom; she's actually smiling like it's a fond memory. I was only two years old at the time, but I remember this. I remember my dad and Caleb crying because they thought they had lost her. I was so confused; I kept asking for my mommy and nobody knew what to tell me.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't know what I was doing. I was a stupid kid back then," Chrissy tells her as she motions for my mom to sit next to her on the couch. "You feel so good, Char. I hope you were lying to me when you said I wasn't getting any tonight."

"Of course I was. I love you way too much to deprive you of that. Plus, I need it too," my mom says before kissing Chrissy.

"Casey, I need it too," my wife pleads with me.

"Damn, woman. I'm not a machine," I tell her, but the sad puppy dog look she gives me makes me change my mind. "Alright, alright. You know I can't resist that sad face of yours."

"Casey, what did I tell you about putting out?" my mom says to me in that lecturing tone of voice that moms use.

"If you don't put out, how is a girl supposed to know that you like her?" I recite. It's not something she really believes, but now that I'm married, it's an ongoing joke of ours.

"Exactly."

"Okay, next time one of you says that, give me some warning so I can cover Kylie's ears. We don't need her hearing that at such a young age," Alex jokes.

When I notice that my mom and Chrissy aren't paying attention to us anymore, I start to focus all of my attention on Kylie. Blame it on their drunken make-out session, I guess.

Kylie is on sitting up on a blanket playing with her many colorful, plastic toys. Alex dressed her up in a pink onesie with the words "I love my mommies" embroidered on it. My Kylie is the light of my life. She's so full of joy and every day is a learning experience for her. She recently mastered the ability to pass her toys from one hand to the next. It's only a matter of time before her and I are playing catch and I'm teaching her how to swing. My daughter is going to do something great with her life. I just know she is.

"Kylie! It's tummy tickle time," I say to my smiling daughter. As soon as I start to tickle her, she lets out the cutest little giggle I have ever heard.

"You're the only person who can make her giggle like that," Alex tells me. "She really loves you, babe."

"I love her, too. She's my heart and soul, my reason for living," I tell Alex. "And you're the one who brought her into this world, which makes me love you more with each passing day."

Instead of kissing each other, we both kiss Kylie's cheeks at the same time. This earns us another smile from our beautiful daughter.

"I don't want to leave, Alex," I tell her.

"Me neither. I'm not ready to go back to school. I like being here with your family."

"And we like having you here," my mom says after finally prying her lips from Chrissy's. "The past few months went by so fast. I don't want my baby to leave."

"Which one?" I ask. "Me or Kylie?"

"You," she answers. "I feel as if we finally understand each other. I wasted so much time being upset with you when I should have just accepted you to begin with."

"It's okay, Mom," I tell her. "You've helped us so much with Kylie. I don't know what we would have done during the first couple of months. Alex and I didn't even know how to change a diaper when Kylie first came home."

"You girls helped me more than you'll ever know. I was a completely different person before you got here. Now I finally know who I am and what I want for myself."

"Mom, you've sobered up now, right?" I ask, trying hard not to show any emotion.

"Oh, shut up and give me a hug already," my mom says to me.

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, baby. You know you're always welcome here."


	17. Chapter 17

dove in love: Ohhhhh, Charlene will be back. haha. Sorry for taking so long to update.

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

We're back in LA after 9 months of living in Colorado. It's all so bittersweet. Instead of living in a full house with the rest of the Novak family, we're in a two-bedroom apartment a couple of miles away from campus. We've tried our best to make it look as cozy as possible and I think we've succeeded. Kylie has her own room now. It was actually the first room we decorated. We couldn't wait to fill it with her crib and all of her toys.

Casey and I have the master bedroom and now that we're a married couple, we want our room to have a more mature look to it. Instead of hanging up random posters of singers and movies like we did in the dorms, we've put up pictures of Kylie. In fact, there are pictures of her in almost every room of our apartment. Bragging? You bet we are. Casey and I like to show off our daughter every chance we get, which is why we are extremely excited about today. Today is the first day of Spring Quarter and Kylie is going to school with us. She's going to stay at the daycare center on campus while her mommy is in class. Casey doesn't have class today, but she is scheduled to flier for her sorority's Rush Week events so she wouldn't be able to keep Kylie with her.

"I'm going to be recruiting for awhile, but as soon as you get out of class, call me and we'll go visit Kylie," Casey tells me as she walks me to my classroom. I love how enthusiastic she is. Plus, she looks absolutely adorable in her jeans, flip flops and gray sorority shirt.

"Okay, sweetie, I love you."

"I love you, too. I hope you're hungry. I'm taking you out to lunch after we see Kylie and before your next class." We don't care that we're right in front of the door to my classroom; Casey kisses me right then and there.

"I better go inside, Caseybear. I have to save a seat for Bridget."

"Okay. Just one more for the road," she says before kissing me again.

I walk into the lecture hall and secure seats in the middle for Bridget and myself. Five minutes later, I see her chatting up another girl while she's walking in. Okay, maybe she is just a random classmate that asked Bridget a question about the class. No big deal. I motion for Bridget to join me and the mystery girl follows her. Who the heck does she think she is?

"Bridge! I've missed you so much!" I say as I give her a hug.

"I've missed you too, Lex. I'm so glad you're back. It just wasn't the same without you." She pauses. "Do you think we could move to a different location? There's only two seats here and there's three of us?"

"There's three of us?" I ask, trying to play dumb and hoping she'd get the hint.

"Shit! Where are my manners? Alex, this is my best friend and roommate, Olivia. She's in my sorority, too."

Olivia reaches out to shake my hand. "Olivia Benson, but you can call me Liv," she says politely.

I return the handshake. "I'm Alexandra Novak; you can call me Alexandra," I say coldly. Last year, I was Bridget's roommate and most importantly I was her best friend, but this year I've been replaced. Now I know why she hardly called me while I was in Colorado.

We move to a different area of the lecture hall, one that is further up. It's where the slackers usually sit and I want to tell them that, but Bridget and Olivia don't seem to mind. "Relax. It's only the first day," they say to me.

There's still five minutes before class starts; five _awkward_ minutes.

"So, Alex, Liv and I are going to lunch after class; do you and Casey want to join us?" Bridget asks.

"Who's Casey?" Olivia asks me in a teasing voice, as if she is expecting me to say Casey is my boyfriend.

"My wife," I answer her coldly. "And, thanks for the invitation Bridget, but we can't. We're visiting our daughter after class." I know Casey wouldn't mind switching her schedule around so we could eat with them and visit Kylie after lunch, but I honestly have no desire to spend time with Bridget and her new friend.

"You have a wife _and_ a daughter?" Olivia asks me, trying to make conversation.

"Yes," I say matter-of-factly.

"Well, why don't the two of you come to Santa Monica with me and Liv tonight? It'll be fun," Bridget says.

"Bridget, why does it have to be me and Casey? Are you afraid I'd be the third wheel?" I ask her.

"No, it's just that you and Casey are inseparable and I thought there'd be a better chance of you coming if she were invited. Plus, I love her and she's my boyfriend's sister. What's wrong with you, Lex? You never used to act like this."

"Nothing," I answer. She is about to say something else, but our professor walks in and starts addressing the class. Never in my life have I been so happy for class to begin.

I know I'm supposed to call Casey after class, but I decide to walk over to the G-Pi table and meet her there instead. The area where Casey's sorority is recruiting is crowded with tables from other sororities and fraternities and all the students who are hoping to join them. While looking for Casey, I am handed fliers from six different sororities who want me to join. There's something about being tall and blonde that attracts recruitment fliers from other tall, blonde sorority girls. After making my way through a group of girls who look exactly like each other, I finally spot a ponytailed red-head in a gray T-shirt.

"Casey!"

She turns around and makes her way over to give me a hug. "Baby, what are you doing here? I would have walked to your class."

"I know. I just wanted to surprise you. I had a horrible first class and I was hoping my wife could cheer me up."

"I'm sorry, babe. I'll be your loveable, huggable Caseybear then."

She kisses my hand and then turns to her sorority sisters, "I'm going to visit my daughter. Alejandra should be here in five minutes to help you girls out."

"Okay. Bye, Casey!" one of the four girls says to her.

Casey grabs my hand and starts to giggle. Oh, no! She's back in sorority mode. "Aren't they cute?" she asks me. "They're from the Beta Epsilon class. They just joined in the Fall. All four of them are freshmen and they were nervous about me leaving them alone for recruitment. It's always nice to have a big, bad sophomore around, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, because you're so big and bad," I tease. "The Casey I know is a total softie."

She playfully squeezes my hand. "I love being with my sisters, but it's so nice to finally be alone with you and away from all the recruitment madness. So, tell me about your class, Lex? I thought you'd like it. Did Bridget drop or something?"

"No, she's still in it, but she has this new best friend named Olivia Benson and she's horrible."

"How is she horrible? Was she rude to you?"

"No, she was actually rather nice. The two of them invited us out tonight."

"Then what's the problem?" Casey asks, confused.

"Bridget is _my_ best friend. Her and I shared everything with each other last year and now some new girl comes along and takes _my_ friend from me. During freshman year, Bridget and I were like peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly, Oreos and milk. I was the cheese to her macaroni, damnit, and now this…this…Olivia girl comes out of nowhere and ruins it."

"Honey, you're overreacting," Casey says to me. "Maybe you can be—"

I interrupt Casey. "I can't stand Olivia Benson. Oh, and she's so pretty, too. She has this unique beauty to her and it makes me so mad because she's the type of girl who doesn't even know she's beautiful. She's like 'Oh, look at me, I'm Olivia. I have dark hair and dark eyes and gorgeous features and a beautiful olive skin tone, but if you say I'm beautiful I'll deny it because I'm so perfect and Bridget McNamara loves me. Alex Novak, on the other hand, is ugly and pale and flat-chested.'"

"Alex, she did not say that," Casey tells me. "And Alex Novak is beautiful and incredible and loving and the only woman for Casey Novak."

"Well, there's one thing I have that Olivia doesn't."

"A beautiful wife?" Casey asks.

"Casey!"

"I'm sorry, babe. I just had to throw that in there. I have an idea, though."

"What?" I ask her.

"I'll blow off the rush event tonight and spend some time with my beautiful wife and daughter instead. We'll watch some movies, play with Kylie, cuddle with her on our bed, and anything else you want to do."

I give her a kiss. "Why are you so perfect?"

"Because, like I said earlier, I'm your loveable, huggable Caseybear."


	18. Chapter 18

dove in love: I think Olivia could make anyone jealous. haha.

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

"I'm just saying I don't like frat boys," Olivia tells Bridget and me.

"I take offense to that. My boyfriend was a frat boy," Bridget tells her.

"Yes, but you met Caleb when he was a senior and he was already busy with studying for the MCAT and filling out medical school applications. There's no telling what he was like before he met you," Olivia says to Bridget.

"Oh, I remember what he was like before he met Bridget," I add. "He was a total womanizer and he dated the sleaziest girls. He even hit on me on move-in day during freshman year, but I had to tell him I was not of the heterosexual persuasion."

"The heterosexual persuasion?" Olivia says as she starts laughing.

I join her in her laughing fit, "Hey! I just thought it would be easier to say I play for the other team than to flat out say my intentions for the night were to get into his kid sister's pants, which I would have that night had she not been 17."

"Right, Alex, you talk big, but you were scared out of your mind to sleep with Casey," Bridget teases.

It's been a month since Spring Quarter started and I finally told myself to stop acting like a baby and get to know Olivia and I realized she's actually a lot cooler than I thought she'd be. Bridget told me that I'd never be the third wheel in a negative way because the three of us are a tricycle and all three wheels are important on a tricycle. She told me this when she was drunk out of her mind, but it actually makes sense in some weird way.

Casey has a sorority function tonight and I haven't gone out in ages, so Bridget asked her mom if she'd babysit Kylie while I go out to a club with her and Olivia. Mrs. McNamara said she'd be delighted to watch her, so after giving my daughter a goodbye kiss and dropping her off at the McNamara's, here I am in Bridget's Range Rover with two of my dearest friends on our way to a club in Hollywood. Our dresses are skin-tight, our heels are high, and our make-up is anything but natural looking, but we don't care how uncomfortable we are; we're going to have a good time tonight no matter what.

"So, what do you look for in a guy?" I ask Liv while we're still on our way to the club.

"I guess one that doesn't have to prove his masculinity by doing keg stands and sleeping with a bunch of drunk girls," she answers. "I'm sorry I'm bitter right now. It's just…it's just I still can't believe he cheated on me with some random G-Pi and had the audacity to break up with me in front of her. We were together for over a year. I even helped him with all of the idiotic pledge stuff he had to do to join that stupid fraternity."

Poor Liv. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to be cheated on.

"Tonight, we're going to blow off some steam and find you someone even better. Ladies, we are going on a manhunt," Bridget says to us.

"Alright!" I say excitedly. "That sounds fun. I've never been on a manhunt before!"

"Isn't she cute?" Bridget asks Olivia.

"Adorable," Olivia answers. "Alex, if worse comes to worse and something were to happen between you and Casey, Bridget and I promise to go on a womanhunt with you."

"Or, I'd just leave Caleb and go gay for you," Bridget tells me.

"Aww, you guys are the best," I say to Bridget and Olivia as I flash them a heart symbol with my hands.

This is my first time at a club and it amazes me how many people are there for the sole purpose of hooking up. All of the girls are scantily clad and the music is extremely loud. I wish Casey were here. This place is starting to scare me.

Before going out to the dance floor, we find an area that enables us to scope out the scenery for a bit. I decide to order a Shirley Temple and two girls at the bar start to make fun of me. I'm only 20, not legal drinking age, and I have a baby that I'm still breastfeeding; there's no way I'm harming my baby or doing anything illegal just to look good in front of people I don't know.

"Hot guy, 9:00," Bridget says and Olivia and I turn to see who she's talking about.

"He looks like a blonde version of my ex, not happening," Olivia tells us.

Thirty minutes later, we've had enough of this manhunt and decide to have a good time just the three of us, no significant others needed.

"I love this song!" Olivia says as she's grinding against me on the dance floor. I love hanging out with my straight female friends. There's no pressure for me to look a certain way or brag about what Casey and I do in bed. Instead, I can just be…Alex.

"Mind if I cut in?" a handsome guy about our age asks me.

Olivia gives me a pleading look. "She's all yours," I tell him.

Bridget and I decide to go back to the table so we don't make Olivia nervous. She looks like she's really having fun out there. I hope this guy isn't some douchebag who is just trying to hook up with her.

"Hey, beautiful. Do you come here often?" I here someone say to me as they cover my eyes with their hands.

"How dare you touch me! I'm married." I say to the mystery person.

"Oh, well, I hope she realizes how lucky she is," the mystery person says to me as she gives me a kiss on the cheek. I start to smell a familiar honeysuckle perfume.

"Casey?"

"Who else would it be?" she laughs. "And I'm so glad your first instinct was to say you're married. You just passed the faithful test, Mrs. Novak."

I pull her close and start to kiss her. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too. My sorority function ended early and Bridget told me where you were, so I thought I'd surprise you."

"I'm really loving this surprise," I tell her as I start to check her out. Her shoulder-length hair is down and she's wearing skinny jeans and a black halter top that shows off her 'Alex' tattoo. So this is what she looks like when she goes out? We should do this more often.

"So, when do I get to dry hump you on the dance floor?" Casey asks me as she sits down.

I start to blush. "Anytime you want," I tell her.

As the three of us are about to get up, Olivia comes rushing over to our table, flashing us a text message. "Can I see you tomorrow?" the message reads.

"Can you believe he already texted me?" Olivia asks us excitedly.

"Who? The guy you were dancing with?" Bridget asks.

"Yeah, he was here for his friend's bachelor party and they're on their way to a sports bar now, so he had to leave, but he was such a gentleman. He asked for my number and as soon as he left he sent me that message."

"Are you going to see him tomorrow?" I ask.

Olivia starts beaming. "Yes! Isn't he gorgeous? He's a Marine!"

"A Marine!" Bridget squees. "That's so hot! I love a man in uniform. That's like cop hot or firefighter hot."

"Or Casey at the batting cages hot," Casey adds playfully.

"Mmm…that always works for me," I say as I give her a butterfly kiss.

"Well, I plan on rounding the bases with you tonight," Casey tells me, well aware that Bridget and Olivia can hear her.

"Are you sliding into home?" I ask her.

"I plan on sliding in very, _very_ deep," Casey says as her hand starts going up my inner thigh.

"We have to go!" I say two decibels louder than I probably should have.

"Casey! Alex! We're here for Olivia," Bridget teases.

Olivia starts laughing. "No, it's okay. I think our work here is done."

"Oh, Liv, this is my wife Casey," I say as we're leaving the club. "Sorry, I didn't introduce you two earlier."

"It's okay. It was hard to hear at the tables anyway. You two make such a cute couple," Liv tells Casey and me.

"Thanks," Casey says. "Oh, by the way, what's the guy's name?"

"Elliot," Olivia tells us with the biggest smile I have seen from her in a long time. "Elliot Stabler."


	19. Chapter 19

dove in love: I'm glad I got you to like EO for this story. (pats self on the back). You have to admit EO would be a cute couple!

JeffHardy724: I love that you're the only one glad about Liv and Elliot being added. EO is my secret shame. :)

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><p><strong>Casey's POV<strong>

"Mom, I'm so nervous. What if I don't get it?"

"Casey, you will. You're perfect for the position and you're so passionate about the sorority. There's no way they would pass you up," my mom says to me while we're in my car on the way to the G-Pi Mother's Day brunch.

"Yeah, but some of the girls were saying that because I declared myself inactive for two quarters that would disqualify me. I don't even know if I was voted on or if they automatically excluded me. I'm going up against two other girls, you know?"

"Oh my goodness, Cassandra! You're psyching yourself out. Chrissy checked the Gamma Pi Delta constitution and it does not say that declaring yourself inactive the previous quarter disqualifies you. It's all up to your sisters now and they love you. Plus, Chrissy talked to Stephanie, your president, and put in a good word for you."

"She did?"

"Yes, you're like a daughter to her; you always have been. Chrissy would do anything for you."

"I guess there _are_ some perks to my mom sleeping with the president of my sorority's National Council."

"Thanks, Casey. I feel like such a whore now," my mom laughs.

"You wear it well, Mom. You wear it well. So, are you down for our drinking game tonight? You swore you'd teach me to play flip cup."

My mom's tone of voice becomes serious all of a sudden. "I promised you that a while ago, before I knew…"

"Before you knew what?"

"Before I knew Chrissy and I were expecting our very own little bundle of joy."

"Mom! You're almost 40! Why would you do something like that? It's not like you're with dad and you forgot to take your birth control pills or something. You're with a woman now; she can't just get you pregnant. You two had to have been planning this and you didn't tell any of us."

"Casey, it wasn't planned, I swear. Chrissy and I were really drunk at a party for one of her co-workers. We ended up having a threesome and the condom must have broke or maybe we didn't use one, I honestly don't remember. All I know is that I was late and when I went to the doctor he confirmed I was pregnant. I'm about four weeks along now."

"That's how this baby was conceived? You didn't talk things over with Chrissy and search for donors or weigh the pros and cons? You just had a threesome with some random guy? When are you going to grow up? Leaving Dad was the worst thing you've ever done!"

I know that last statement was a low blow, but I can't control what I'm saying right now. Things were supposed to be different from now on. We were supposed to have a good mother/daughter relationship and now all of that is ruined. She knows this is a huge day for me and she just couldn't wait to ruin it.

"Casey, I'm going to let you in on something I should have told you a long time ago."

"What?"

"I think you're beautiful and I'm sorry I have never said that to you before. It's just that telling your daughter she's beautiful is one of the worst things you can do. My whole life, I've been told that I was pretty or beautiful or gorgeous or perfect and where did it get me? I don't want you to be anything like me. I want you to be smart and ambitious, not some ditzy cheerleader or pageant queen like I was at your age. My mom taught me that 'come hither' look when I was a preteen, she taught me how to smile a fake smile, and how to flirt to get what I wanted, but that was the extent of that. She never told me I could have real goals or be an independent woman, which is what I want for you. I'm glad you grew up around Chrissy. She's a strong woman and she knows how to get what she wants without having to use her body for it like I've had to do. When I look at you, I see her when she was in college. You're both so smart and determined and I'm proud to have her as my wife and you as my daughter."

"I'm sorry about what I said."

"Don't be," she tells me. "I just don't want to fail you anymore."

"You've never failed me."

Once we get to the parking lot, I give my mom a hug.

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, baby. You're going to get that Pledge Mistress position, but if you don't, it's okay. I'll still be proud of you and so will Alex and Kylie."

I can't help but smile because of my mom's last sentence. "I didn't think about this until now, but our kids are going to grow up together."

My mom starts laughing. "Kylie will actually be older than her aunt or uncle. Chrissy really wants a girl. She already has her name picked out; Charla Anne Lacroix."

"Charla Anne LaCroix?" I ask.

"It sounds weird when you and I say it, but when Chrissy says it, it actually sounds almost musical. She's so excited, Casey, and her excitement has really rubbed off on me. After holding Kylie, I realized how much I missed having a baby around the house. Speaking of, I want some time with my granddaughter tonight. Poor thing is probably being held by Alison right now. That woman is such a snob. I saw the way she was looking at me up and down."

"Probably because you're prettier than she is," I add.

"Hmm…that could definitely be it. Alex and Megan are beautiful girls. They must have gotten their looks from their dad because that woman is not attractive," my mom tells me. "Before we go inside, there's something I have to give you. It's a Mother's Day gift from Chrissy." My mom rummages through her purse and pulls out a tiny box for me. "Go ahead, open it," she urges me.

When I open the box, I try my hardest not to cry. Inside, there is a tiny note that says, "Welcome to the legacy. Love, Chrissy." When I remove the note, I find three solid gold G-Pi pins. Engraved on the back of the first one is "Cassandra. Omega Chapter, Beta Delta Class, 2007." The second one is Chrissy's "Christiane. Zeta Chapter, Delta Xi Class, 1987." The third one is slightly tarnished and I have no idea who it belonged to. I flip it over and read, "Caroline. Alpha Chapter, Alpha Theta Class, 1942."

"I told Chrissy you didn't have a pin so she took it upon herself to buy you one," my mom tells me. "The third one belonged to her grandmother who pinned it on Chrissy when she was initiated. As Chrissy's daughter…or step-daughter…"

"You were right the first time, Mom. As Chrissy's daughter…" I say, trying to fight back the tears.

"As her daughter, you're part of their legacy. It's something Chrissy and her grandmother Caroline are both very proud of. Caroline knows all about you and she says she'd be honored if you wear her pin."

My mom attaches all three pins to my shirt and squeezes my hand. "You have this, Casey. I know you're going to be Pledge Mistress."

When we sign in, our Social Chair hands my mom a name tag to fill out. Unlike the other mothers who just write their name, my mom writes "Charlene" and underneath her name, she writes "Casey's mom." When she's finished, she sticks the name tag on her shirt that Chrissy had custom made for her. It's light pink with the words "G-Pi Mom" on the front and "G-Pi Wife" on the back. She's just as excited to be here as I am and I'm extremely grateful that she flew all the way from Colorado just for this event. It's not required for me to wear a name tag, but I grab one anyway and write "Charlene's daughter" on it.

After serving ourselves a light brunch, we find seats next to Alejandra and her mom.

"Casey! It's so nice to finally meet you," Mrs. Cortes says to me. "Alejandra has told me so much about you. She missed you so much when you were gone. You were all she talked about. Alejandra was right; you _are_ a very pretty girl." Okay, that's a little weird. I always thought Alejandra considered me to be just a friend.

"Mom!" Alejandra groans. "Please stop making it seem like I have this gigantic crush on Casey."

"I wish you did. She seems better than that Kelly girl you're dating. That girl is an idiot, Alejandra," Mrs. Cortes tells her.

My mom starts smiling. "Parents are never happy with who their children date. I'm sure she's a lovely girl, Alejandra."

Mrs. Cortes turns to my mom after having ignored her last statement. "Charlene, don't you think our girls would make such a beautiful couple?"

"I do, but my daughter happens to be married, happily married."

Alejandra shoots me an 'I'm sorry' look before telling her mom to stop embarrassing her. I've never noticed this before, but she looks so beautiful when she's blushing. She gently places her hand on my leg and I start to feel butterflies in my stomach. This is just a friendly gesture, right? I'm with Alex; she's with Kelly. No big deal. We're good friends. Good friends are allowed to be affectionate.

"Good luck today," she says as she winks at me.

"Yeah," I reply, although I wish I could have said something more suave.

While our moms are busy talking to each other, Alejandra laces her fingers with mine. "I like you, Casey Novak," she whispers in my ear.

"I like you, too," I tell her. "You're one of my best friends."

"No, I _like_ you."

"Oh!" My mouth suddenly goes dry and I barely manage to form a sentence. "But I'm married," I tell her.

"I know. It's a shame."

She suddenly moves in closer as if she's about to kiss me, but we are saved by Stephanie taking the stage and announcing the new officer positions.

After having announced ten positions, it is time for the moment of truth. Everything I've worked for freshman and sophomore year has brought me to this point.

"As you know," Stephanie begins, "the race for Pledge Mistress is always a tough one. If a girl succeeds at her Pledge Mistress position, it is highly likely that she will become President during her senior year. This year, we've had three fabulous girls in the running for this position, but unfortunately, only one could be chosen."

There is a brief pause and the three of us who are in the running exchange glances. Regardless of who wins, we're still sisters and we're still going to be there for each other. Who am I kidding? I _have_ to have this. It's for Allegra and Chrissy and…Kylie.

"Ladies of Gamma Pi Delta, Omega Chapter, your Pledge Mistress for the 2008-2009 school year is...Casey Novak!"

"I knew you could do it, baby!" My mom says as she gives me a hug. I walk up to the stage to receive my certificate and the infamous whip that all Pledge Mistresses have to use.

"Work it, Casey!" Alejandra shouts and I crack the whip for the first time. All of my sisters and even their mothers start to cheer.

Stephanie gives me a hug. "You've come a long way, Pledge Novak. I remember when you were my least favorite pledge," she jokes.

The rest of the G-Pi Mother's Day brunch is filled with gifts, games, and tributes to our moms. My mom and I won both the Mother/Daughter lookalike contest and the "Most G-Pi spirit" award.

On the way back to my apartment, my mom and I find a country song that we used to sing to each other when I was little and put it on full blast. Tonight, we're having a sleepover, just the two of us, and it promises to be a night filled with slasher movies, junk food, and girl talk. She may have a baby on the way, but at least for this moment, I can pretend to be her little girl one last time.


	20. Chapter 20

dove in love: Of course you can send it to your mom! I hope it was a good kind of crying and not a bad kind.

JeffHardy724: haha you're awesome! I wanna punch her, too!

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><p><strong>Alex's POV<strong>

"Are you going to visit your mom in New York this summer?" Olivia asks as we're sitting at the kitchen table in my apartment.

"I've been thinking about it," I tell her hesitantly. Although Olivia and I have become close friends this quarter, I still haven't told her about what happened to me last time I went to New York. It's a really sensitive subject and I'm not sure she'd understand. Whenever I tell somehow that Kylie was the product of rape, they don't know how to react. It's usually an awkward conversation and I know they're wondering why I didn't have an abortion. I'm just afraid Olivia is one of those people who won't know how to handle the subject of rape and why I chose to have Kylie instead of having an abortion.

I continue, "If I do, it will only be for awhile. Casey and I have to go to summer school to make up for the two quarters we missed this school year. It sucks, but I'm glad we took that time off. What are you doing this summer?"

"Probably just—" Olivia starts to say until we are interrupted by my wife.

"Babe, do we have any syrup?" Casey shouts from the living room.

"No, why?"

She comes over to the kitchen. "Elliot and I have been watching _Super Troopers _and we're going to have a syrup chugging contest to see which one of us is all that is man," Casey says as she flexes her muscles.

Casey and Elliot met each other for the first time an hour ago and they are already acting like best friends—or competitors; it's really hard to tell the difference.

"Elliot, there's no syrup," Casey says disappointedly as Elliot walks into the kitchen.

"We can always do the cinnamon challenge," he tells Casey. "I saw it online. You have to eat a tablespoon full of cinnamon without throwing up. Nobody can do it."

"What do you mean nobody can do it? Maybe nobody but Casey Novak," my wife tells him. "I bet you $20 I can do it."

"Babe! You're not chugging syrup and you're not eating a tablespoon full of cinnamon," I tell her.

"Same goes for you, Elliot," Olivia tells him.

"Geez, Elliot. How did we get mixed up with such boring women?" Casey asks.

"Boring, but beautiful," Elliot says to us. Good save.

"I don't know, Liv," Casey starts. "If I were straight, I'd totally give you a run for your money. Elliot and I would probably be getting married right now."

"And chugging syrup at your reception?" I joke.

"Aww, my wife made a funny," Casey says sarcastically. "Come on, Elliot. Let's go to the batting cages. A home run derby will let us determine which one of us is all that is man."

After they leave, Olivia and I get Kylie from her crib and lay her on a blanket with us in the living room. I can't believe how big she's gotten. My little girl is seven months old already.

"Can you believe those two?" Liv asks and starts to smile.

"I think they're cute together. By the way, Elliot is going to get his ass handed to him during their home run derby." I tell Olivia.

"Elliot could take on Casey any day," Olivia brags.

"I highly doubt that. My wife knows what she's doing."

"Don't you mean your husband?" Olivia teases.

I start to laugh. "That's what it seems like today. Seriously, though, are you and Elliot a couple now?"

"Not yet, but we're dating each other exclusively. We both want to take things slow," Olivia tells me.

"But have you done it yet?" I ask.

"No, like I said, we want to take things slow." She starts to blush. "But we've done…other stuff."

"Like…?"

"Gotten to third base."

"What's third base?" I ask with a confused look on my face.

"Oral, Alex!" Olivia says as she starts to laugh. "I thought you'd know that, what with being married to Casey."

"Alex, look at your daughter!" Olivia says excitedly.

I look at Kylie and notice that she's on all fours. "Come here, Kylie. Come to Mommy." Kylie crawls a few inches and stops.

Olivia pulls out her phone and starts recording. "Get her to crawl some more. I'll send this to Casey."

"Come on, Kylie. You can do it, baby. Come to Mommy." After a few seconds of Olivia and I waiting anxiously, Kylie crawls another twelve inches to me.

"You did it, Kylie!" Olivia says excitedly.

I pick up my daughter and hold her up really high. "I knew you could do it, baby! Mommy is so proud of you!" Our excitement earns us a giggle from Kylie. "My baby. Mommy loves you so much!" I can't help but start to hold my daughter as close as possible.

Within twenty minutes of receiving the video, Casey comes bursting through the door. "I am all that is man! And where's my daughter?"

"You won by one hit, Casey. Just one," Elliot tells her, but Casey is too excited to pay attention.

"I love both of my girls so much," Casey says as she gives Kylie a kiss on the forehead and me a kiss on the lips.

"We love you, too, baby. Want to go with Mommy Casey?" I ask my smiling daughter.

"I can't believe you're crawling already, little one," Casey says to Kylie as she's holding her. "It seems like just yesterday I was holding you for the first time. Pretty soon, I'll be able to teach you how to hit. Hopefully, you'll be better than Elliot."

"I heard that. And must I remind you that you only won by one hit?" Elliot tells Casey.

"Regardless, I am still all that is man," Casey brags.

That's one of the things I love most about Casey. I never know what to expect. One day she's in heels and a dress at her sorority function and the next she's having an "all that is man" contest with Elliot. It's been almost two years since I first laid eyes on her, and she still takes my breath away. Casey and I have been through a lot together and it's allowed us to form an even stronger bond with each other. It's amazing how so much can change in just nine months. The little one in Casey's arms is proof of that.

I know our lives will get harder as time goes on, but that's all right. I honestly can't wait to be a junior!

**The End.**


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